Proxy
by Sacide Darkpath
Summary: [HIATUS] Shendu changes the past through the Book of Ages, clueless to a single one escaping it's reality-altering powers - Jade Chan. Follow as she is plunged head first into the aptly dubbed 'Demon World' and tries to re-correct history. Unfortunately, her task proves easier said than done.
1. Demon World

Jackie Chan, archaeologist by profession, impromptu demon hunter and unwilling hero of the Earth, stalked up towards the large, expansive tome; watching it magically record history with his glowing red eyes; a satisfying hiss escaping-

Back up.

It was a series of events; dark and horrible. He had become possessed by the demon sorcerer known as Shendu; an adversary they had fought in the past in regards to the Zodiac talismans and the race to banish his seven siblings, whereas he had tried to free them and keep their stay permanent. After being defeated, however, he managed to convince his siblings to allow him one last chance.

With, the Book of Ages, through his human host - Chan.

He had travelled to the land down under; to find the fabled, once believed myth. He was not alone, of course, as the Chan's and the sumo wrestler known as Tohru tailed after him. They were unwilling to want to harm him; he was delighted to note, as they did not want to risk hurting Jackie.

The demon could feel him struggle against his mental bonds, trying to forcefully take control with no success. Shendu thought it would have been harder than this – but no. It appeared as if Jackie was not so great in the mental minefield the demon lodger had set up to block such attempts. Even Valmont managed to snatch control from him at times; complete utter control.

Now; presently, he approached the Book with hands twitching from anticipation and excitement. He reached out, grasping the brush.

"Oh no you don't!"

He was momentarily disrupted as a weight dropped onto his back and hanging off his arm. Shendu let out a guttural growl; glaring darkly at the insolent child. One too many times his and Valmont's schemes had been halted, stopped or slowed due to the crafty brat. One, too many times had she cleverly caught onto their traps with her keen wit.

This child, was none other than Jade Chan. Any other circumstance would of made it a curious case – her prowess with martial arts, while still in training, was exceptional at best, utilizing her height and agility over her foes, most of which whom were far larger, and far more powerful. Her potency with Chi Magic (even if most of her spells backfire; yet in the most spectacular ways), especially at such a young age, was in on itself a mystery to the demon dragon.

Not only that; but during her brief stunt as the Queen of the Shadowkhan; he saw impressive potential. She shown power in her magic far beyond her years – and he had commented on such.

Of course, he remembered possessing her vessel once; during the Chan's first dive into the realm of magic. He had been disappointed that her body was as weak as any other mortal child, and all of her secrets resided in her projection.

Coupled with the fact her espionage, breaking and entering, and thievery only served to highlight her crafty, cunning skill and penchant for puzzles..

And it will be all **gone** when he makes the changes. Her abilities. Jackie Chan, and the old Chi Wizard – all of it, gone. A sickening grin matched this thought; causing the girl to falter for the briefest of seconds.

Jade tried to grab a hold of the brush he was using; but given how Shendu was shaking her off, she accidentally grasped the page of the Book and ended up tearing a piece, as he sent her hurtling towards the ground with a thud.

"So it is written, so it is done!" proclaimed Shendu, finishing the last brush stroke, which changed the very fabric of reality. Had the archaeologist been able to regain control, he would utter one thing, just before everything changed;

"Bad day."

* * *

A weary groan escaped her as she slowly started to come to; eyes cracking open and her vision all splotchy – hazy and fuzzy. Dots of light seem to cloud it, and upon blinking a few time she managed to fix it until she was staring up at the face of two concerned, middle-aged parents. She could see their lips move, indicating speech, but her mind was like a buzz.

"-Jade? Jade! Are you.. alright?" Finally, sound managed to push through the filter and reach her ears. Her head was killing her – a continuous pounding, like a mini-construction worker had decided to unload their power tools against her mind. She reached out dizzily, and the two worriedly grasped onto her hands, helping her up.

"I.. think so?" she replied – or at least, she thought she replied. Her voice sounded so disjointed from her; it didn't sound right listening to it, but it was merely the fog of awakening still clutching onto her. The young girl would of shook her head free of it, had it not been the friendly worker in her head and his pneumatic drill. Her senses returned to her, lifting up that dreary mist.

"What are you doing out of the palace?" her mother stated; concerned laced in her tired voice and even a slight twinge of fear; which confused her.

"Where did you get those strange clothes?" cut in her father, whom was equally as frightened and worried.

Jade eyed her parents with her honey coloured eyes, perking a dark eyebrow at their rags. Her parents wouldn't be caught dead in even second-hand designed stuff, let alone scraps it looked like they tried to sow together – no, even that would be too good. Her nose was suddenly assaulted by a foul smell, which seemed to come from outside, causing her to wrinkle it as she put off answering by trying to take in this entirely new setting.

Wasn't she in Australia? Stopping Shendu?

Her wide, expressive eyes found themselves glancing towards something she was holding onto, scanning the letters briefly before absent-mindedly speaking.

"I could ask you two the same thing.. and.. palace?"

The loud, reverberating sound of a gong ring cut all three off; and it made her clutch her head and groan in pain, her headache only worsening. Still, her parents ushered her out of the wooden shack-like house, into the streets of somewhere that was decidedly not the temple that held the Book of Ages, nor Australia.

Her time to eye the scenery came to an end when the rows upon rows of people that had gathered lowered onto all fours and bowed; foreheads touching the unclean streets. Jade stood, dumbfounded, but was quickly yanked down by her mother, who told her it was forbidden. She didn't know why – but her answer came rearing it's ugly head.

Dragons.

Not just any sort of dragons. Deep, vividly green, that almost took on a metallic sheen with their scales. Their eyes were ruby red, much like their demon master's. They hissed and growled; snapping their yellowed, sharp teeth and beating their leathery wings in annoyance as they served as guards and power display.

Long, willowy whiskers protruded from their snouts; twirling back and giving them a mix of what Jade would assume a western and eastern take on the once thought mythical beast. The girl peered up from her position on the floor; glancing through her ebony locks as she watched both mesmerized and horrified at the parade.

Human servants boring colour coded uniform the Chan would of said from a clown came next; holding up and carrying a gestatorial chair, which seated the last person she ever wanted to see, in all his glory.

Shendu, the Demon Sorcerer of Fire, and now, the Emperor of China. Memories were brought back to the first time this whole adventure began, back when it was as simple as.. well.. Zodiac animal talismans and a malevolent evil dragon-statue that turned out to be a demon sorcerer-

Not so simple. Still; he looked very much alike from there; Dirty green almost golden colour of scales; sharp and glowing red eyes, only accented by the black, symbol-like markings on his face. Jade quickly pressed her forehead to the ground as he passed; and thanked her lucky stars he did not notice her.

It ended as the last of the dragon-guards made their way over the bridge, and the crowds of people on the street dispersed. The girl hopped up, patting down her modern clothes and finally having some time to herself to question all of this.

"Shendu's alive!" she proclaimed to herself; aghast.

"I got to find Jackie." murmured Jade, turning and was surprised that she didn't have to look for very long. Wearing one of those clown-suit coloured uniforms, Jackie Chan was sweeping the streets with a heavy sigh. The niece noted that her uncle had certainly grew his hair longer in the time it took for realities to change.

Approaching him, she waved frantically. "What happened to _you? _What are you doing?" she questioned, finding his choice of priority a little askew. Sure, her Uncle liked to keep things neat and tidy and ensure no collateral damage, but this was overboard.

Jackie took one look at her and did a double take, before shaking his head. "Your job." he said dryly, passing the broom to her.

She blinked, looking to the streets themselves and pulling a disgusted look not too soon after. "Sweeping dragon doo?" Jade shuddered a little, sidestepping away from the street's middle.

He eyed her the same way she did to her parents. "Where is your uniform? For that matter, where have you been? I've been worried, Jade. You don't want to be punished, do you?"

Jade Chan stared at him blankly, purposefully dropping the sweeper and flatly replying. "Why exactly do I need a uniform, again?"

"Jade!" her uncle stated, tone scolding as he wagged his finger. "Because it is required for all servants of the supreme ruler, his majestic highness, Lord Shendu!"

Something clicked within the preteen, making her exclaim; "Are you telling me _Shendu _rules the world?!"

Jackie laughed lightly; shaking his head. "No, no, Jade. Each of the eight emperors has his or her own domain." Really, he was surprised she seemed so affronted with this news; as if she didn't know this obvious fact. His confirmation came next when she next spoke.

"Since _**when!**_"

He frowned a little, but just chalked it up to his niece trying to escape her duties of cleaning the street. Of course, that must be the reason. He chuckled to himself, gently patting her head and ruffling her onyx coloured locks of hair. "Since the dawn of history. What is wrong with you today?" He left her to her job; walking past the bridge and towards the foreboding fortress.

Jade stared after him, convinced the forces of Darkness must of put some freaky spell on her uncle. Although, his words slowly did begin to dawn on her. "Hm.. History.. of course!" she snapped her fingers. "Uncle said that.. Book magically recorded history. So writing in it must of changed it, which Shendu did.."

All the puzzles and pieces fell into place, and she gasped. "Which means I'm in DEMON WORLD!"

Wasting no time, she took off after her uncle, making sure to keep relatively out of sight.

Shendu's palace, while aesthetically pleasing in a Gothic sense, was utterly confusing and mind-numbing to navigate through safely in her current situation. On top of the fact her headache was still present; she could only grit her teeth and bear it. The lavishly decorated, yet macabre hallways all blended to look the same to her;

Woven, fine silk from the walls, staining the black stone crimson of it's beauty, cascaded down. Some pedestals had been erected, on top of them priceless vases – so ancient, rare and invaluable, magnificently crafted and made. There were jade (the gem, not the niece) statues of the dragons she saw earlier; the figures snaking and curling around pillars.

She didn't know why, but any time she passed them, it felt like their ruby gaze was following her.

Gold, too. Lots of gold trimming and accents on various pillars, used on treasures too. To Jade, Shendu had some serious expensive tastes.

"Jackie..?" she called out hesitantly, unsure of trying to make a sound and alerting all the wrong people. She walked carefully, but Jade bolted it when she heard footsteps not belonging to hers. Down a set of stairs; she was suddenly grabbed by a pair of black-gloved hands from the side-

"H-Hey what's the..?" she stopped as she was set down, and she turned around to face the smiling one of her Uncle.

"Today, you will scrub Master's bath chamber." he started cheerfully, handing her a clearly worn down hand brush, some of the bristles clumped together with what she could only assume was mud. She pulled a face; tossing it behind her as she muttered 'no way'. The last place Jade needed to be, was in Shendu's _bathroom. _

"Then, you will fill his tub with fresh boiling muck!"

She stared at him, clearly in disbelief, but gagged on reflex when indeed, Jackie presented the bucket full of foul-smelling.. whatever was in there. She took ahold of it, gently setting it down and verbally calling out her disgust and stuck her tongue out for good measure.

"And don't forget to trim Master's toenails." he went on to finish obliviously, retrieving a pair of tools. They looked like super sharp garden sheers Jackie would _never_ let her use, attached to what looked like a _harness._

Jade was flabbergasted. Totally floored. What was the real catcher, was that Jackie expected her to do this. That he was completely, and utterly fine with serving a demon sorcerer, and making her do all this stuff. The very thought made her ball her hands into fists, anger budding as she desperately tried to make him understand.

"JACKIE!" she shouted, making him blink, taken aback a little. "Listen to me! I don't work for Shendu – and neither do you! Demons don't rule the world. HUMANS do!"

Jackie peered at her; raising a puzzled eyebrow.

She sighed. Time for a crash course in the Real History. "The demons were banished a long time ago by the Eight Immortals-" she accented this by various punches and kicks in the air, symbolising fighting, before slapping the palms of her hands together in her meditation pose.

"-Then they got out-" she demonstrated by moving once more, and throwing a single punch to the other side. "and we banished them again. Shendu possessed you, found this magic book, changed the past, and now none of that ever happened!" finished Jade, making one last gesture with her arms raised.

A brief pause.

"That's crazy, Jade." her uncle laughed, much to her dismay. "You're crazy! Humans ruling the world.. heh.." He turned to leave, but was stopped once more as she blocked the exit.

"It's true!" she fumed, stamping her feet, about ready to tear her hair out. "We built cities, and- and cars, and.. My watch!" She wanted to slap herself silly – how could she forget? "You got me this watch!"

"..What's a watch?"

Jade sighed, and pressed a red button on this 'mystery device'. It beeped, before one of the many quotes it possessed sprouted forth. This caused a startled yelp from Jackie she didn't expect, and he flailed backwards; horror stricken on his face. Quickly, he pushed her away from the entrance and poked his head outside.

She tapped her foot, and he turned back in, hands on hips, and looking very displeased, yet worried too. "Jade! You know that Magic is outlawed!"

This time, she really did begin to grip at her hair and growl in frustration; this annoyance only increasing her already pounding headache. Her voice barely made it through her gritted teeth. "It's not magic. It's technology. HUMAN technology. You gave this watch to me but.." she looked away suddenly, eyes downcast as her anger started to drain away into morose depression.

"I guess you wouldn't remember that."

Hearing his niece in such a distraught tone, he gently fell to his knees, placing his large hands on her tiny shoulders, a small frown rising to his face as he was concerned for her. "Why don't I remember?" he asked.

"Well.. that's the thing! I do.." she stopped, as if a lightbulb occurred.

She rummaged in her orange jacket's pockets, taking out a single piece of torn paper she had ripped from the Book of Ages, reading the Chinese text a loud.

"'And so, Jade Chan became a wily accomplice in the battle of good versus evil'. Hm.. This didn't get re-written, so that's probably why I do!"

Jackie was about to comment; but the sound of a gong cut them off – a theme that was occurring more and more frequently, it seemed. He looked up in alarm, shooting straight up and grabbing a bundle of clothes, shoving them into Jade's hands unexpectedly. He said something about 'dinner', and left in such a hurry.

Jade frowned, but looked at the uniform given to her. "I guess for now it's incognito, Jadester Style. Better keep my life story safe." Folding the page neatly, she shoved it in one of the shoes and changed into the uniform, following Jackie in his wake.

If only she knew what to expect from the days to come..


	2. Gongzuo

Jade was lost.

There was no putting it any other way – she was totally, utterly, and completely lost in the labyrinth of same-styled hallways and intersections. With the design in mind for.. well, a demon sorcerer, everything seemed gigantic to the tiny eleven-year old. With a frustrated snort, she turned down and descended another set of stairs.

Her search of finding where her uncle went came to a halt as she faintly heard the sound of music and light chimes. This caused her to raise her eyebrow, puzzled at the seemingly cheerful notes. She followed it to the source, and although it grew in volume and caused irritation for her head, she only had to walk up two stairs for the answers to be laid in front of her.

If she thought the standard servant uniforms resembled clowns, she had no idea to take the literal jesters she could see perform.

Indeed; the merriment appeared to come from them; each of the court clowns providing a variety of silly and hilarious dances and movement; set to what was supposed to be an upbeat and funny tune. However, Jade was not laughing. More, surprised. She recognised them!

Finn, Ratso, Chow, Hak Foo and Valmont! The Dark Hand. They too were effected by the Book of Ages, which struck the girl as odd. Surely if Shendu worked with them; they would have been given a slice of the good life? "Reward" or something. Still, she bit her lip, watching them make buffoons of themselves.

Her eyes travelled from the sorry sight to the imposing figure on the throne; cheek rested against the palm of his claws as he looked so bored of the performance, although Jade was no expert on demon's facial expressions. At least on Valmont, he was much easier to read, due to the familiarity.

A low snarl started to emit from the emperor however; shifting on his throne and declaring in that hissing, raspy voice of his; "Dance, my jesters, dance!" and promptly shot them with the Pig Talisman's power, narrowly missing to provide proper motivation.

The Enforcers looked to each other in worry (whilst Chow, unfortunately got caught in the blast, setting alight his pants) but as the dragon's solid red gaze started to intensify and glow; they nodded quickly and begun to dance more in union

Jade peered at them in pity once more, before she managed to spot her uncle obediently residing by Shendu's side. She took a deep breath, and very quietly called out to him.

Demonic dragons apparently possessed very, _very_ good hearing that she didn't know about. "Child!" the Emperor called, directing his fiery gaze onto the small human. She felt fear shoot up her spine faster than the Rabbit Talisman, and such a reaction made her give a slight snort of nervous laughter.

He slowly gestured for her to approach him, and she rigidly ascended the rest of the steps and made that dreaded journey towards Shendu. Full attention was not something she wanted from him, and the fear of him knowing her knowledge of the past was present. Now at the foot of the throne, she awaited anything.

Nothing... except his eyes narrowing into near slits.

Reclining backwards; he enclosed his claws into a fist and rested his cheek against it once more; his voice however scathing, and conveying a different message from his demeanour.

"Why do you not _bow?_"

She felt compromised – her hands stiff and her back ramrod straight as she felt the icy grip of fear enclose her spine once more. This was it. The end of her. Or.. so she thought. Jackie Chan was quick to step in front of her, obscuring his vision of the child briefly and making a low, sweeping bow.

"Master, please excuse my slow-witted niece." he babbled; and Shendu frowned. He leant forward, reaching out and grasping his braided hair and pulling him up to eye level. The man squirmed, flailing a little and meeting his gaze with a flinch. If there was one thing the demon sorcerer knew, however, was that Chan's troublesome brat of a niece was anything _but_ slow-witted.

Still, he'd humour the mortals. The girl still had her uses for his entertainment, as well as receiving her servitude, and it would be such a shame to incinerate her now. "If she was not excused, she would be inflames." he informed the uncle nonchalantly, tossing him to the floor and hissing. "Now fetch my dinner!"

With another hasty bow, Jackie left for the kitchens. Feeling awful, Jade could only mutely watch him do so; biting her lip once more to stop her from exclaiming something that would ruin her cover or just outright attacking Shendu.

He returned not shortly after; burdened with a heavy silver platter of oversized green grubs. Jade wrinkled her nose at the sight. Scooping up a handful; the dragon tossed them in his mouth with a satisfied squelch; chewing and swallowing; and licking his lips.

Jade listed _'Shendu smiling' _as one of the things she never wants to see again.

"Having one's enemies close is not only rewarding.. it is gratifying!" the Emperor gleefully said, and much to the younger Chan's chagrin, Jackie nodded hectically in blind agreement.

"My purpose is to live and serve." he stated; as if a mantra he had repeated often, and Jade found herself slowly shaking her head; hands closing into fists as she did her best to hide her upset and fear from the large being present in front of them. She called out to him softly once more; but was yet again met with Shendu's voice.

"Oh, child.." he drawled.

She paused, turning around and partly bowing. "Yes. Uhm.. Master?"

"It's Talons day!"

All colour drained from her face as indeed, Shendu was serious. What was she, his pedicurist? Still; her lips quivered as she was expected to clip his nasty talons. She didn't even notice Jackie approach her with the shears and help fix the harness into place. Her eyes widened, and as she took a wobbly step forward – the smell. The _smell._

It took all of her training as a martial art student (for self defence and help to release any pent up energy) and willpower not to hurl up her lunch at her parent's house – back in what she dubbed the Real reality. All of her determination; skill and wit not to bolt it. A visible, green twinge overtook her face as she shakily grasped the handles of the shears.

There was no backing away from this. Her mother, her father, Jackie, Uncle, Tohru, El Toro, Paco, Viper, everyone in China and the World counted on her playing meek little "totally doesn't know the past" servant girl.

_'If I ever make a TV show of all my adventures, I am SO leaving this part out._' she thought, trying to keep a somewhat optimistic, Jade-Attitude in her mind. Taking a mental breath, as inhaling deeply would probably cause her to faint, she set to work, clipping the first of the useless talon and continuing on..

* * *

"You forgot master's clippings."

"Jackie, there is no WAY I'm ever going near his feet like that ever again!" proclaimed Jade, wrestling herself out of the harness and tossed the shears unceremoniously to the ground. Jackie turned his head briefly to give her a look, before throwing the rest of the leftovers into the roaring fire in front of them.

She scrunched up her face, huffing in irritation. Stepping forward, she grabbed a hold of his long, braided hair, much akin to how Shendu did, and tugged on it to make him face her.

"Shendu treats you like a dog on a leash!" she pointed out. "The Jackie I knew was a hero!"

"I am not the Jackie you know, Jade." the uncle quietly admitted. "What can _I _do? I'm just the Master's head attendant."

Jade opened her mouth, and closed it. Yeah, what could they do? Sighing softly to herself, she hopped up on one of the storage crates, eyebrows slowly knitting in thought. There were many ways to approach fixing the world, and each solution brought about thousands of questions she couldn't possibly know for sure without research. Her mind suddenly turned to her great-uncle, and she smiled gently.

"We're gonna need help. A lot of help." she mused slowly, grabbing Jackie's attention before he could leave. The man placed the bucket down by the fire, approaching his niece and looking to her; urging for her to continue.

"In the Real Reality, we had friends – and I know just the people to call upon. The J-Team!" she grinned, although Jackie remained unconvinced. "Myself, You, Uncle, Tohru, Viper and El Toro Fuerte. Occasionally Captain Black and Section Thirteen would pitch in to help."

"I am sorry Jade." he began. "But not only do their names not ring any bells, but they are certainly not working for the Master. Perhaps the other emperors or empresses are in possession of them?"

"If that's the case, then this complicates things a whole lot more." she grumbled, raising a hand to her forehead and groaning. She massaged her temple, and with the clear signs of her pain, Jackie briefly left her to the back of the servant's kitchen, making a cup of water for her. She gladly accepted it, and drinking the tasteless liquid did soothe her throat and calm her head a little.

"Even Uncle?" she asked after a while.

"No, no." he shook his hands, smiling lightly. "He is Master's library boy. Unfortunately we are forbidden to enter the library."

"Not servants, remember?" she muttered. "It doesn't matter-"

"Not tonight." Jackie was quick to firmly state. Jade levelled her gaze to his; staring at him with mild anger. She had heard Jackie be stern many times before, and it never worked, but judging by his tone, he was really adamant. However, she tried not let his tone deter her.

"Why not?"

"The Prince." at her look, he sighed, and launched into an explanation.

"Prince of China, Son of his Majesty, Drago. He is becoming more and more restless as of late, and is seen more often roaming the hallways. If he caught us trying to sneak into the library, well.. he is very much 'action first, ask questions later'." He finished, and slowly placed his hands onto her shoulders.

"Promise me you wont try to go in there, at least not tonight, Jade. It's just not safe. Besides, the Master will be upset if his bath isn't drawn."

"Duh!" She slapped a hand to her forehead, voice a touch scathing and highly sarcastic. "I completely forgot about that! Now I wonder why I forgot – because I'm not a servant!"

"Jade!" he scowled. "We will see Uncle tomorrow morning, but please, do your tasks."

She sighed, but, if earlier was any indication; Shendu would clearly harm Jackie over any of her mistakes. That, and Jackie did say he was the 'head attendant', so he was probably responsible for all her actions. Doing it more because she didn't want to cause him harm, she sucked in a breath, sighed, and nodded, hopping off the crate.

She stopped suddenly, then looked up to Jackie. "Before I go.. uh.. Where, exactly, is Shendu's bathroom?"

* * *

"Ugh, this is worse than the time El Toro took Paco and I to Mexico Mooseworld and then rode the Pukinator straight after a couple hotdogs.." the girl grumbled to herself.

Her arms ached with the continuous work on scrubbing the chamber – the dragon was a big guy, after all. Although, she always looked to the silver lining whilst she couldn't do much against him yet. This allowed her to strengthen herself without the need of workouts. She leaned up, briefly placing a hand to her back and stretched her stiff legs, having been knelt down for so long.

She had done a relatively good job; having been able to clean out the previously caked on filth surrounding the tub (which Jade could sum up was like a 'dragon-sized indoor pool') and on the tiles themselves. The bath chamber wasn't particularly interesting; aside from it's expensive décor.

There were three connecting rooms; the servant's entrance, a room Jade didn't know, as well as the doors that lead to the emperor's sleeping quarters. Of course, the girl knew that demon like the back of her hand – there were bound to be secret passageways somewhere.

Luckily; the demon had yet to present himself yet, and she was happy for it. She still needed to fill the cleaned tub with the horrible muck.

And there was _a lot _of tub..

She blew a stray strand of hair away from her face; most of her spiky locks having drawn up and tied into a messy bun with a piece of ripped off drapes she passed by. Her shoes rested neatly by the servant's entrance as she found traversing on bare feet was much easier to clean – and more fun.

By the time Shendu did enter, the girl didn't know when – having taken off her watch in case of being caught with it on – she perilously made her way to the tub and filled it with the last of the buckets. A large, heaving sigh escaped her; muscles on her arms even twitching a little from the seeming hours of manual labour.

Setting the last bucket down, she was about flop back and exclaim something, when she turned and caught sight of him. A startled yelp escaped her, making her fully alert. Much like her uncle, she patted her chest to calm her suddenly racing heart, all while bending to bow.

The demon eyed her for the longest time; and finally, dismissed her to leave.

Not wanting to linger, she jogged over to the exit, wiggling her shoes back onto her feet and bolting out. She didn't spare even a single look back – all she wanted was to rest and relax, and start plotting the World-Rescue. Was that so much to ask for?

Apparently so.

The world surely had a sense of humour as to when it wanted to be rescued from this reality, for she slammed straight into the hard, warm chest of what she would say an immovable pillar, but no, it was something much worse. She would of fell flat onto her backside, had it not been for what she smacked into grabbing her ankle and lifting her up; turning her upside down.

She let out a groan; her vision slowly correcting itself as she squinted her eyes. Her hair fell loose from it's bun, part of her shirt hiking up and exposing her stomach. Blood began to rush to her head, certainly not helping the headache that was starting to subside. Finally, Jade was able to look upon whom got her in this predicament.

He looked like some sort of.. green, overgrown lizard. His facial structure definitely screamed a resemblance to the emperor; however it seemed.. underdeveloped? There were prominent protrusions, like spikes – as if.. youth? Teenage, if she had to guess.

What troubled her was the distinct humanoid look about him, as her eyes roamed down and back up to his face. He didn't have freakish muscles like any demon-dragon she seen, but he was well-toned. Nether, the biggest distinction was that he had _four fingers _(albeit more.. pointed, like claws.)_ and a thumb._

He also wore what she would have to guess was casual clothes; and was thankful at least he wasn't naked from the waist up. All black; sleeveless, and bearing the fire symbol mark on the centre of his tunic.

"Well, well, well.." her mysterious hallway blocker drawled; and her earlier guess on youth was confirmed, although _way_ older than her. Jade noticed a lack of hissing most of the demons harboured, and instead was more defined. There was a very slight hint of it, though. Her eyebrows rose, however, when she studied his face closer.

His eyes. They were not completely red, nor did they glow. His had pupils, iris, and sclera. That meant one thing to Jade – he was not _entirely _a demon.

A smirk formed on his face, amused at her prying eyes. "Awh, does shrimpy see something she likes?" he snickered at her subsequent reaction from that; her eyes bugging out at the implication and a strange look of mild disgust mixed with embarrassment. He let go of her ankle and dropped her to the floor. Jade hesitated to reply, for she believed she knew who this person was.

Prince Drago. She had expected to see.. well, a Mini-Shendu, not.. what was before her. Sheepish thoughts of what she could imagine this 'prince' to look like. This. This was. Different.

Still, she slowly got up, adjusting her shirt and bowed slightly, deciding not to comment after her little reaction. "Um. Sorry for uh- bumping into you, my Prince. I'll be going now."

She gave a quick bow once more, trying to move around and leave; but he wasn't having any of it. His tail snaked out, the tip of it curling on the back of her belt and jolting her backwards, right smack into his vicinity again.

"Why the rush, _Jade? _The night's still young, and I'm _terribly _bored."

Conclusion: Drago apparently knew her. She had no idea on even anything about him other than name and connection.

Second Conclusion: He was _so _going to fry her for entertainment. Bad day.


	3. Plan

Fear was not something Jade felt often.

The life-threatening situations she got herself into sometimes, well, she never truly believed she would be in danger, because Uncle Jackie would be there to save her should things go to pot. That, and she was confident in her abilities, and hardly doubted herself. There had been times, however, when the hopelessness of a situation started to sink in, and that is when the fear and panic began to creep out.

The best example was when she was trapped in Demon Netherworld. At first, she held out her hope that Uncle would fix up a Chi spell and have her out in two shakes of the Rabbit Talisman, but unfortunately that had not been the case. When it was up to her to escape, well.. there was the inkling of fear and distress that she may never see her family again – and the pain they would feel of never seeing her.

Here, she knew there would be no Uncle (either one) to save her, no last minute Chi spell, not even a Big-T smack down on the villain. She only had to rely on herself to escape, and she was heavily handicapped by the situation and circumstance. Naturally, this wouldn't of been a problem in the Real reality, for she could just open a can of butt-whoop. Here, in Demon World?

Carefully; she tried to pass off a look of obedience up at the green-skinned prince. "What.. should we do, then, um, royal highness?"

Suddenly, she let out a pained exclamation as he flicked her forehead. "My old man hasn't managed to crack you, has he? You're the only fun servant around here." he mock pouted, his tail moving away from her and flicking side to side behind him in slow movements. "I would be disappointed if he has, but then you'd be wasting my time.. and I don't appreciate that."

No. Way.

So, what she could gather, was that she acted a certain way around him. It seemed, that maybe her personality would of remained somewhat unchanged, even if she failed in tearing a piece of the Book – not that was her original goal, but it did make her ease up quite a lot. This didn't quite explain what her relationships or interactions with Drago was, or would have been – this was confusing.

She filed it under 'complicated'. Obviously he was not a friend, and she still had to act like a servant. But it seemed she could relax. Snapping on the 'Jade-Wit' switch, she folded her arms and gave him a typical look, smoothly replying.

"Chill, Princey. I gotta make sure that he isn't still listening. Walls have ears, you know?" Smoother than a rocky mountain.

He snickered, and she mentally did a dance in her head of victory that he was not immediately incinerating her for her tone. "Follow me."

Deciding not to ask where they were going in fear of compromising herself; the girl unwittingly walked after the strolling half-demon. Here, she began to make a mental map of the fortress for future reference, and although it was wholly blank; it was beginning to be filled in. Jade's honey coloured eyes roamed every inch of the hallways they passed through; and was mildly surprised to of witnessed one account of servants – mixed in age – looking frightful and dare not pass by whilst the two were present.

People feared Drago. The way the other humans treated this was like she was walking to her doom, hand in hand with her executioner.

Finally, they stopped after traversing down what seemed like the umpteenth staircase; and the Prince stepped forward, grabbing a hold of the doors and flinging them back to reveal a marvellous sight to Jade.

It was like a dojo; and a stab in her heart reminded her of the training room back at Section Thirteen. She fought to keep a sad smile raising to her face, just in case Drago misinterpretation it. There were various weapons on racks strewn about the room; as well as both worn and new wooden target dummies set up; some completely bare with others encased in armour of various kinds.

The half-dragon entered, his smirk having never dropped and Jade felt inclined to respectfully remove her shoes and join him on the padded mats.

She could already get the idea of why he brought her here, and sighed; distancing herself from him to the other side, peering at him. Her assumption turned out to be correct when he spoke.

"Think you'll be able to last longer than couple seconds, tiny?"

"Tch." Ah, there was her verbal tic. She had been dying to do that all day. "Have to resort to picking on little servant girls again, scaleface?"

He chuckled. "You happened to be just in the right place, at the right time, little miss punching bag." He fell into his stance, which Jade was unfamiliar with; and had to take in account his tail as another limb to avoid. She pursed her lips. She estimated that this fight wouldn't last long on her end.

Her muscles still ached from cleaning Shendu's bath chamber, as well as her headache serving as an ugly reminder. She needed sleep, not to duke it out with, what she assumes, a powerful foe. Still, it was better to get a few bruises instead of.. well, dead, charred and eaten.

"Let's stop with the chatter and get to dancing, twinkletoes." she replied before she could stop herself, and was thankful that Drago took her disrespect in great amusement. She made a mental note _not _to act like this if he was angry. She too, fell into her combat stance; a cross determination struck on her face.

He peered at her curiously – funny. He remembered her stance being a lot less formed. He usually fought against her because the Shadowkhan did not fight back, even after encouragement, and her attempts of actually trying to match him with no skill served endless entertainment. It was always fun to beat up a Chan in any case.

The other servants cowered and sat there like headless chickens, taking the punishment, becoming no more use than the wooden dummies or the shadowy soldiers. But not Jade. She was the first to flat out try and defend herself, and for that being a welcome change, he allowed her to live after the insubordination of attacking him.

"Lets." he agreed, and shot forward, about to bring his leg up in a kick -

And was forced to block with his arm, sliding forward to stop her surprisingly chosen move of a spinning hook kick. His block disorientated her pretty easily, as well as stopping her advance. Their height difference started to prove disadvantageous for him; for as he tried to strike her back, she easily rolled forward, his toned and tall form escapable with her short one, like slipping through the cracks.

Jade fell into stance quickly, stepping forward and throwing a right punch. This was blocked once more; and she made quick successions of weak but many strikes, all being deflected or dodged. Drago suddenly made a switch to the offensive; as he slid forward and made an impressive back kick that even staggered her forward a great deal.

Pain shot through her – this was definitely not like Uncle Jackie's training spars. She was forced to shakily move, narrowly missing his knee that aimed for her gut and ribs. Rolling away once more to dodge his claw strike, she yelled and took one step forward; partly bending her leg and finally landing a solid kick to his chest, aiming to push him back.

And it worked. ...For about half an inch.

This served to only annoy Drago as she hadn't performed the move correctly; and did not have the strength nor the proper velocity required to deliver such a blow. He snarled at her; showing the sharpened dragon teeth and a growl ripping from the back of his throat.

There was only one way to solve this. Her infamous, most reliable move. Getting enough distance between them, she charged at him; using her left leg to jump forward; and tucked it straight after; pulling up her right leg and extending it out in a powerful flying side kick. Of course, this move was executed in a matter of seconds; but to her, it felt like slow-motion.

Unfortunately, Drago had took off the kiddie gloves, a single hand shooting out, grabbing her ankle from out of the air and hanging her upside down once again.

Jade blinked, and laughed nervously.

"Oh, well, looks like you lost again, Jade." he said humourlessly; clicking his tongue in disapproval as he enclosed his free hand in a fist. This short lived fight gave Drago insight that Jade was either learning from him with their "spars" in the past; or there was something else going on here. Of course, he had been holding a ridiculous amount of strength and skill back; but a learning human is a dangerous one.

He grinned slowly. He really only had himself for blame if she was learning; his previous alarm melting away to amusement. He reminded himself that she was an eleven year old girl. There really was nothing to be alarmed about. That and, if he fried her now, he'd be short a very fun toy.

So, instead, he chuckled. "You'll be getting the losers prize!"

"Death?" she whispered; questioning but worried all the same.

"So soon?" his grin widened. "No, not death. In this world, death is a kindness."

Jade gulped; and closed her eyes tightly, awaiting the inevitable impact.

* * *

"Owwhh.."

"Hold still, Jade."

"But Jackie!"

"_Hold still_."

Jade gave an agitated sigh as Jackie pampered her with the wet dish rag, dabbing the red, purplish, blackened bruise that encompassed the greater half of her face, even her eye was partly closed, bloodshot and swollen. The both of them sat in the servant's kitchen late at night (or very early in the morning) with her sitting up on the tabletop and being tended to.

Other servants were present; still cleaning up the hectic mess of the green grubs Shendu ate as food; as a single one was heavier and bigger than an average adult man. Some glanced to her in curiosity and sympathy, yet did not speak out or approach the head attendants.

Jackie gentle cupped her chin and turned her head carefully to the side, frowning heavily as he re-soaked the rag and pressed the ice cold cloth to an open, languid cut to her other cheek, causing the girl to flinch. She didn't even have to explain for him to know whom did this.

"I am sorry Jade, but I don't believe you'll be assisting in the banquet tomorrow." he said gently, lowering the rag and placing it into the sink. The girl perked an eyebrow, tilting her head.

"Banquet?"

"Oh! Of course, you wouldn't know." the uncle exclaimed, then began once more. "The Emperor of the Moon has called a family reunion and our Master has kindly agreed to be the host of such event. Myself and a variety of servants will be attending to manage the food and service the visiting royalty as they see fit."

Jade hummed softly, a thoughtful look overtaking her as she stroked her chin; the gears in her mind turning. She could almost hear a clock tic the seconds away before she snapped her fingers, a devilish little grin dropping to her face.

"This would require Shendu's full attention.. wouldn't it?" she asked.

"Yes.." Jackie said slowly, not following.

"And dear old Overlord Junior will be with him, correct..?"

"Overlord- Oh, you mean Prince Drago. Yes, his presence is mandatory."

Jade nodded to herself, counting the steps in her mind and leaning back, her grin only spreading as it seemed almost too easy to pull off. This sudden look on her – especially with her bruises and cuts, making her look quite odd, and worried the older Chan. Everything was cleared up as she begun to explain.

"See, I'm thinking the visitors will bring their most prized servant or head attendant, right-"

"That's not guaranteed, Jade-."

"-so you need to look out for specific people, and tell me which Demon they're rubbing elbows with. In brief, Tohru's a big sumo, El Toro wears a wrestling mask with an ox symbol, Viper's the classiest lady that you totally have a crush on in the Real Reality-"

"_Jade."_

"-Okay okay, maybe not that last part but you have to keep an eye out for these people. They're the J-Team, remember?" she murmured, looking down to the floor briefly before back up to Jackie. Once more, the uncle found himself sighing and placing his hands reassuringly onto her shoulders.

"I will do my best, but I can not say that I will be at all successful, or that I will even recognise any of these people correctly. What will you be doing?" he said, voice concerned but genuinely intrigued by this plan.

Jade looked to him, silent for a moment, hesitation settling in. She didn't quite want to reveal just what she would be doing, but she didn't want to keep him in the dark either. So, quite often if she wanted to lie, she settled for half-truths or not quite fully telling the entire story.

"Shendu is a demon _sorcerer, _first and foremost. He's bound to have a magic chamber somewhere. This may be the only time I can safely enter it without running afoul of Drago or a guard or what not. Even if he doesn't have one, the thing I'm looking for he definitely has." she explained, and tapped her chin with a finger.

"Although I know he's paranoid. He'll probably do.. something to beef up security. Though, accessing the magic is only a secondary objective. What I want primarily may be in his bedroom.." She could feel her inner Section Thirteen Agent channelling as she devised her plan.

"Jade.." Jackie murmured, thoroughly confused by her train of thought. "What exactly are you after?"

"I'm talking bottled Chi potions, spells, a blowfish, anything! As for my main goal.. well.. it's a little thing called a Demon Archive." she relented, unable to keep her uncle truly in the unknown. She didn't want to lie to him after all.

"It sounds very dangerous." Jackie began, already a lecture on the mind, but was cut off by a snort.

"Very. But the dangerous stuff is on the inside. What I'm after.. is on the front of the cover."


	4. Arrival

_AN: Just a brief one. This is my headcanon order of how I think the age of the demons are, from Oldest to Youngest:_

_Tso Lan – Tchang Zu – Po Kong – Xiao Fung – Dai Gui – Shendu /Bai Tza (same age)– Hsi Wu_

* * *

With a plan set, the adventurous little girl found sleep hard to acquire. Jackie had escorted her to their room not long ago, and the only sound being made was her uncle's soft snoring. As it turned out, being head attendants, they were given their own room. It wasn't much of a luxury, as it was barely big enough for Jackie himself, let alone Jade, but after a single look at what the servant's quarters really looked like, she was thankful of their demon master's kindness.

She scoffed. Kindness and Demons just did not mix. The young Chan sat cross legged on her thin, feeble mat, fingers entwined. Staring at the floor, her thoughts were running rampant.

Should she really go through with this plan? At the very least – the primary objective? This reality was certainly different to what she was used to, and she had no idea the effects of taking on the gnarliest tattoo again. She had seen Shadowkhan patrol around, so she knew they existed. But.. wouldn't she just go all evil?

"Evil Me will still get the job done." she muttered under her breath. "I know I'd try to overthrow Shendu or seek more power. If I end up trying to take his throne well.. at least I'll keep him busy long enough for Jackie and the J-Team to escape..."

She drummed her fingertips on her knee. There was still a problem. They didn't have any knowledge of the good Chi spells, nor the symbols of the Immortals that originally defeated the demons OR the whereabouts of where the Book of Ages was. Jade would guess it would still be in Australia, but surely Shendu wouldn't be as stupid as to leave it in the same place.

Unless it was immoveable, of course. She flopped back, groaning as she had to consider all of these problems. Jade hadn't even gave a second thought to disasters like 'if the tattoo didn't work' or what not.

She had to take risks. Maybe first, she'll sort out all the Chi-spells and equipment, and then seek the mark. Satisfied of that, she settled back down on her mat properly, and curled up; closing her eyes and intending to get some shut-eye.

* * *

"Yes, yes, remember the salt for the Empress of Mountains. Careful! That is priceless- No, _no_ flowers! The Emperor of the earth hates flowers!"

Jackie Chan sighed deeply as he continued to instruct servants in the main dining hall. The humans were like small creatures in this expansive room; a grand table in the centre befit for demon rulers. They had worked tirelessly preparing the food to suit the varying appetites of the visitors to come, and the head attendant had put no stops in going all out in the presentation.

Jade's words bothered him, though. With all the knowledge she brought to him; he found that he just could not enjoy the simple things any longer. The more he thought about her ideas, the more he realised that perhaps she was right. That maybe, just maybe, Demons ruling the Earth is a bad thing.

He tried not to let that hinder him, especially with the afternoon banquet. He had his part to play in his niece's scheme, and although he did believe it to be highly dangerous, and he did not want her hurt, there was no other option. He had a feeling she could handle herself.

For now, he gestured to a servant to bring about the chairs; and with due to how big some of them were, it took several men to help push the hulking things into place.

Jackie looked over the room, smiling to himself and nodding in approval. "Alright, everybody, I do not think any of them will arrive yet so you may take a break."

Those words were a relief to all present – including Jackie himself; as some had worked throughout the night and had yet to even catch a single wink of sleep. He couldn't help but feel sorry for some of them – being in the position he is, he was the only one that truly cared for the servants, having taken them under his wing, or convinced Shendu to allow some people from the village to come work in the palace, he wished only the best for them all.

Unfortunately, Jackie had spoken too soon.

All servants froze; fear gripping everyone's heart at the sound of wing flaps. Usually, this would not bother any of them, for they were used to hearing the leathery strokes of the jade dragons. Some of them patrolled outside; but this was different. It was as if the wings were slicing the very air itself; and that was a sign of the only possibly being that could accomplish that.

Jackie gestured to the servants quickly; everything sparking back into life as they prepared for the entrance of the first visitor. He gave a signal, most of the servants moving to their knees and bowing respectfully. He clasped his hands quietly; trying to fight the rising grimace on his face.

The demon was the smallest of the family – even smaller than Drago. What he lacked in size, however, he made up for in mastery of offensive Chi Magic and senses. His wings were large, and their wingspan far. This was demonstrated as they were like blades; cutting through the drapes that Jackie had put up for decoration in a single swift motion it took for him to land at the balcony.

He wore a sickeningly large grin; folding his wings as he placed down a woman that Jackie only just noticed. His claws were large; and was able to easily grasp a human in a single one. He gestured grandly; suddenly flaring his wings and causing a powerful wind to draft through the room.

"Hsi Wu has arrived!" he announced, and was met with the sombre, silent servants, too frightened to move from their bowed position. The demon blinked; lowering his wiry limbs and narrowed his glowing red eyes into slits.

"What is this? No parade, or joyous celebration for my arrival?" he pouted, one of his large pointed ears twitching and he rested his wings neatly on his back once more as he stepped into the room properly; tailed by the woman he brought along.

Jackie had to be careful. Jade had given him a run down before she readied her plan about how they were. He knew from her that Hsi Wu possessed something that was far more dangerous than brute strength – incredible wit and deception. He felt uneasy.

_'Let's just say it was personal.' _Her words echoed in his head. If it was up to him, he would do everything in his power to keep this Demon – or any of them - away from his niece.

"Emperor of the Sky." he addressed, bending to bow lowly and raising after he caught the bat-like creature's attention. If he didn't know any better, he would of thought his grin widened. "You are.. quite early."

"Oh, I am aware." Wu replied, snickering softly as he raised a single claw to thoughtfully scratch at his goatee, eyes distinctly away from Jackie and looking around, as if searching. "But this is not a problem, is it?"

Jackie jolted slightly. "O-Of course not, your imperial majesty. Would you like me to inform my master of your arrival?"

"Do so." he stated, and once more Jackie bowed, turning to leave. "Oh, but before you leave, where is Jade?"

The older Chan halted, swallowing slowly. He couldn't exactly lie, not because it was a matter of morality but because he was just an awful liar. So, he simply told the truth; and hoped that he did not demand to see her. "My niece unfortunately upset his royal highness, the Prince and has been made incapable of attending this afternoon's banquet."

Hsi Wu scowled darkly; his eyes narrowing into slits as he heard this information. His lizard-like tail flicked back and forth in irritation as a snarl escaped him, muttering something incomprehensible. He waved Jackie off with a single gesture, the human bowing once more and taking his leave as the demon walked to his designated seat.

His servant that he had brought along followed in his stead, sat at the base of his feet and winced as the demon instinctively begun to pet the top of her head. He was disappointed that he wouldn't get to meet the child once more, especially if Shendu's words were to be believed and she was as obedient as her uncles. That, he would like to see personally.

"Hm.. a little song while we wait, dear pet?" he asked, even if the act of asking would be redundant – she would have to oblige what he said no matter. The once craftiest member of the J-Team, whose name was Viper, began to softly sing to appease her master.

Luckily for her; she did not have to sing for long, stopping on a note as Shendu presented himself. The dragon looked to his younger brother, frowning suspiciously at his eagerness of early arrival.

"Brother Wu. Your punctuality is exemplary." he commented, joining the other at the table; sitting on the large throne that signalled his status. He found himself reclining; resting lazily as he warily eyed the gremlin. He frowned, watching as the Sky Demon mimicked such casualness in the chair he was provided.

"But of course." the youngest countered. "To see the family again is always a treat."

"Indubitably."

They lapsed into an uncomfortable silence, until it was shattered by the bat-demon. An unkind grin spread across his face, his tone mocking joviality and placed his cheek in the palm of his claws, looking up to Shendu.

"How has little Drago fared, Brother? Last I seen of him, why, he was the weakest, most pathetic little thing. Barely could open his eyes. Clearly something all fathers would be proud of." Aha, there came his scathing wit, for not only did he take a stab at the young Prince, but he also aimed for Shendu himself, albeit subtly. It was a transparent attack; however, which merely made the older brother sneer.

"You will see for yourself how he has grown. I am rarely wrong, little sibling, and your impertinence will not be tolerated. Remember that." he pointed out; his eyes glowing and smoke curling out from the corner of his mouth. This merely only caused Hsi Wu to burst into a fit of inane giggles.

"Oh but dearest of older brothers! You forget, that the rest of the family still despises you for your treachery."

"And yet." Shendu cut in. "Tso Lan asks me to house this ridiculous reunion."

Hsi Wu raised a claw once more to scratch at his chin; his grin annoying for the dragon to look at. He grasped his cup, gesturing for one of the servants loitering around to fill it; and as it was done, he raised it and drained it in one gulp.

"Indeed." he starts after his drink; deliberately stretching out the time to answer, just to aggravate his older sibling all that more. "I can never claim to know how the mind of our Eldest works. However, I know him enough to say it was _not _out of sympathy, nor acceptance."

Shendu was about to reply; but was stopped at the entrance of another demon. This however, was far different to the Emperor of the Sky. Appearing in a green spiral clouds of Chi Magic; the projection of Po Kong formed at the largest vacancy at the table. Luckily; as she decided to communicate this way; her form was far smaller so that she could be in the room, yet was still impressive and massive enough to know who she was.

The female demon looked down upon Shendu and Hsi Wu, and even perked an eyebrow as Jackie Chan entered the room, looking to her and suddenly exclaiming in surprise, patting his chest to stop the sudden racing.

The Empress of Mountain, with her domain being what was once known as Japan in the Real Reality. She was one of the oldest in the family – third oldest to be exact, under Tchang Zu. Her body was composed of rock; whereas her hair, made up in the japanese style bun common in elderly women, was solid onyx.

"Sister Kong!" exclaimed both the younger demons; and Shendu continued. "It is.. _lovely _to see you. May I inquire as to why you are not here in person?"

"Convenience." she said, although all three present knew it was more about laziness and unwilling to travel to China. "The others will be here shortly. I suggest you ready the food."

With a single nod from their master; the servants hectically began rushing around; entering the kitchens and emerging with plates, lathered in food fit for kings and queens. Not moments had they prepared the dishes on exotic and varying kinds to the table; the demons entered one by by.

First came Xiao Fung, the demon of the winds. He entered, appropriately enough, through a wind storm he had created; landing with almost cat-like grace at his seat. He was lavender in colour; with yellow protective plates littering his back, serving as armour. The great frog-like creature also sported a variety of markings inked on his face, similar to Shendu.

Although not one for brute strength himself; the demon usually gorged on entertainment such as gladiatorial matches and other such combat. His role in the family as a middle child usually meant he was glanced over, but still respected. More often than not he would play "diplomat" to his squabbling siblings, and would always prefer a civil route.

The next one needed no fancy entrance; for the very way he moved commanded attention. In a burst of crackling electricity (and unfortunately frying a victim of his arrival) Tchang Zu stormed in. Unlike most, he was more akin to Shendu's body structure, yet was more ogre-like than he was dragon.

Interestingly enough, the demon wore black and golden armour against his thick skin. Most of them did not feel the need to wear such regalement, as their natural defences were good enough, or they looked far more intimidating and imposing without it. The sorcerer of thunder was frightening enough, as it seemed, and with the armour only heightened such.

The second oldest barely acknowledged his younger, 'less powerful' siblings, merely sparing only a nod towards Po Kong.

If there was any candidate to represent the backbone of pure, raw, forceful power it was Dai Gui, the sorcerer of earth. He did not cast many Chi Spells himself; if any at all; but when he turned up; he demanded just as much attention and awe as his older brother. After all, his method of appearing consisted of ripping through the very foundation of the palace and digging up, leaving a gaping hole, much to Shendu's ire.

The dragon did not want to upset him, however, and refrained from making any comment at his older brother's mess. Soil, stone and other such materials slid off the stone shisa like droplets. Dai Gui was considered the least intelligent of the family, but what he lacked in brains he made up for in brawns.

He stepped aside, snorting lowly as he allowed someone to exit the hole he created before closing it up.

The one he had travelled with, was none other than Bai Tza, the second and last female of the family, and sorceress of water. She sniffed indignantly, flicking off some soil that mixed with her watery form, grumbling something about 'never going with Gui again' and shook her head; freeing the mass of tentacles that made up her hair. They curled in the air, suspended, and she moved as if she was in water.

She took her respective seat, her serpentine body coiling around the chair as she made herself comfortable, the maliciously cruel and cunning, yet surprisingly beautiful demon looking around at distaste in Shendu's choice of décor.

Lastily, but definitely not least, entering through teleportation, was Tso Lan, the Eldest, and demon of the Moon. He held such an air of grace, it was nigh impossible not to even bow one's head in respect in his direction. His mastery of gravity was unmatched, and unique, as he floated to his chair. He possessed a robe of silken quality; fine cut and fitting of his tall form.

His hair was sleek; and coiled around him, sometimes moving ever so often in flow of his own gravitational field, and his fore claws were clasped together, while his primary arms lay slack.

With the family assembled, Drago entering not too soon after Tso Lan, the banquet may begin.

Jackie Chan hoped that his niece had no trouble navigating and accessing what she needed. For now, he could only play servant. He gave a single gesture to the humans present, and set to work.


	5. Awaken

She really should have been taking this a lot more seriously, but..

The theme tune to _Mission Impossible _was in the back of the young girl's mind, and although this was certainly not the time and place to think of such things, especially given the situation, it did lighten it up a bit. Jade decided, that a little easy-going, or happy thoughts would do her good – how was she supposed to save the world if she was depressed?

Thus, she kicked out and wiped her hands of any negative dread and allowed the tune to continue, quickly hiding behind the corner of a wall as some stray servants made their way past, oblivious to the child. A slight grin formed on her features, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Viper would be so proud." she commented, her grin expanding as she had to stop herself short of giggling.

As she had no idea where Shendu's magic chamber actually was, she did the next best thing – the Library. The trip had been rather uneventful because of the banquet that was happening, drawing most of the attention, but there had still been the patrol of Shadowkhan and the odd dragon minion. She peeked out from the corner, and deeming it safe, she padded onwards.

Making her way over to the large doors that signalled the entrance to the library, she put all of her strength and weight into pushing a single one, the old, wooden frame creaking and protesting as she moved against it. Enough room was made for her to poke her head in, which is what she did.

The moment she stuck her head into the library, she fell victim to a coughing fit; all of the dust springing up into life and assaulting the poor, curious girl. She covered her mouth to try and defend herself against this attack; but it was futile.

What she didn't expect, was an assailant shooting out; grabbing her at the back of the collar and yanking her into the library proper, and slamming the door shut. She half expected Drago, to which she spun around and instinctively fell into stance.

..And was promptly whacked lightly on the forehead. "Owh!" she grumbled, holding her head, even if the action didn't at all truly hurt her.

"Get out." her assailant said softly, tone embedded with regret, sorrow, and hopelessness. Jade looked up to him, and gasped quietly. She trotted up to the old man, and without warning, threw her arms around him in a embrace. He staggered back slightly, but hesitantly relenting and patting her back in the end.

"Uncle.. Gosh, I was worried you wasn't alright. I know Jackie said you were, but.." she trailed off, and shook her head. "I can't leave now, Uncle. This is.." she blinked, and then slapped her own forehead in a fit of blind stupidity on her par.

"Duh! This is a _Library_! Chi spells can wait. Is the Book of Ages here?"

"Never heard of it! Jade, for your own safety, please leave!" her nagging, yet completely concerned great uncle firmly said, grasping her shoulders and urging her forwards, towards the imposing doors. She grit her teeth, digging her heels into the ground stubbornly. The old man wasn't a match to the youthful energy of a determined pre-teen, and sighed reluctantly.

"Don't worry about it, Unc'!" she chirped; voice light and carefree, springing forward and skipping over to the largest book she could find. She toppled it over, and it crashed to the floor, making a mighty impact that resonated throughout the library. This action caused another wave of dust to surface from the floor and the shelves, mercilessly attacking the two humans.

Jade wafted her hand in front of her, coughing once more and even sneezing once, while moving to open the book and scan the contents, much to Uncle's horror. "Hm, nothing. Say, what about the Demon Archive?"

A strangled gasp of true fear rippled from the old man – enough that even made Jade pause and look to him in immediate concern.

"You seek such a dark object?" he said strangely. "What have you done with my grandniece Jade, demon imposter?!"

The girl rolled her eyes at the false alarm. "Not an imposter, Uncle. I know the past. The real reality. It's – look, it's a long story. Literally." Unfortunately for her, he remained totally unconvinced. With a low sigh and a huff of annoyance, she rummaged through the pockets of her shorts and pulled out the watch she had taken off.

He stared at it blankly, then to her.

Jade clicked the button of the watch; causing it to beep into life and produce sound. This had the adverse effect on the man, as he stumbled backwards and quite loudly proclaimed his surprise and fear.

"AIYAH! DEMON!" Of course. He'd thought it was magic.

"Uncle!" she snapped. "I am NOT a demon or an imposter! Quieten down or you'll alert the-"

Shadows formed around the high bookcases and large books; shrouding the entire room in shaded darkness, like creeping vines. Jade felt that pinprick of rarely felt fear tingle in the back of her neck, the hair standing up as the inky blackness formed into bodies, giving it humanoid shape.

The only colour they possessed were the slit, red eyes of murderous intent. They had came to check out the noise, and were not at all happy to find another one here other than the library boy. The khan encircled them.

"...Shadowkhan."

As it turned out, Uncle knew some moves.

_Chi _moves.

The Shadowkhan were imposing, threatening and was about to strike; but with the old man's universal chant, hopping up and down on one leg and waving his fingers, he managed to make them disappear, like dust to the wind. Jade gave a whopping sigh of relief, offering her great uncle a thumbs up, muttering a 'Go Uncle.'

He did not offer the gesture back, taking his glasses off and cleaning them with his cloth vest, before placing them back on.

"Who else wants a piece of Uncle?" he crowed, before shaking his head and looking to Jade. When she decidedly didn't turn into a demon and harm him, he knew that she wasn't an imposter as previously thought.

"Magic chamber?" she asked again, hinting. "I'll tell you a story along the way, about the Book of Ages."

* * *

Drago exhaled slowly in boredom, picking at his partly eaten meal of swallow flesh, cooked as to suit his odd diet due to his heritage. He lazily reclined on his shorter throne-like chair, dully listening to the absolute snorefest of his family's conversation.

Empire management, spell work (this he was somewhat interested in, but when it turned out just to be a long winded explanation of something that could have been summed up in a few words, he was quick to tune out.) and other needless talk. His attention was suddenly grabbed when Tso Lan began to speak, for the first time since arriving.

"I must say, Shendu, I speak for the entire family when I say that we like you a little bit more." he stated monotonously, his tongue drifting side to side as his mouth remained unmoved when he spoke. It was strange to look at, even worse for non-demons who were not acquainted with their.. quirks.

Shendu relaxed a little in his seat; and for pride being one of his many vices, Tso Lan's words did not do much to help that fact; inflating his ego on the success he made with rewriting history. He smugly grinned, inclining his head a little, yet Tso Lan was not finished.

The Moon Emperor turned his attention to the half-dragon, his foreclaws tapping together in thought as he spoke. "And to see our young nephew again, in person, it has been too long. I have been told that you have quite the knowledge on Chi Magic, as well as martial prowess."

Xiao Fung perked up a little at that last part, widely smirking; his glowing, pure red eyes upturning in glee. "Indeed! Why, Drago, my boy, you should visit my domain some day. Your skills will be a welcome change of pace when pitted against my menagerie of beasts and gladiators."

The idea of trouncing mortals that would be obliged to fight back or die trying did appeal to Drago at base value, but he would not do so just to entertain one of his uncles. Something about that fact irked him, made him curl his lip and bare his fangs, the idea of being used for those purposes. _He _was not the servant here. _He _did not do things on the accounts of his family's whim, unless it served to better him.

What further stirred up his brewing and bubbling anger was the next comment from Bai Tza.

"You should not encourage his _human_ habits, older brother." she hissed, eyes narrowing as she balefully stared her nephew down, the concentrated malice in her gaze alone enough to almost make him flinch. Almost. He took a particularly hard stab into his meal, the meat impaling on his claws as he met her look warily.

"He should focus more on his sorcery. I am ashamed in you, Shendu, that you would allow him to practise such mortal arts to begin with."

"Well said, sister!" Hsi Wu delightfully cut in, pointing a singular claw in Drago's direction. "But what can you expect from a half-breed_?_" Even if it was clear to all that the bat-demon was merely stirring the pot; Tso Lan had yet to step in to cease this hostility. He was curious as to how his nephew would be able to handle under the over-expecting pressures of his siblings.

He noted that Shendu had yet to step in to defend his son when the entire family was now present, even Drago was surprised at this fact as he turned his head slightly towards him. The older dragon remained silent, not even sparing him a glance.

The others were too, like the Eldest, curious as to how this would play out, and they did not have to wait for long.

Drago's anger was, explosive and volatile, and often than not, he was quick to spur on and fire up his temper. He had tried to dampen it down with some marginal of respect because this was his family, but all of that was thrown out the window along with his self-control. As it was allowed to simmer rather than short bursts of unexpected hostility, he was, lightly put, dangerous.

Thus, he let loose a tremendous roar, followed by an unexpectedly large fireball he had conjured; tapping into his father's side of the family, straight at Hsi Wu. The demon squawked, quickly wrapping his large, leathery wings around him in a protective barrier as he was hurled from his seat a good few feet to the side; hissing and cursing in some old, forgotten language as the burn ate at his wings.

The demon teen's eyes ceased to glow red as they had done when he had performed the action, and he pointed his smoking claws at his uncle; snarling, teeth exposed.

"This _half-breed _can not only destroy you, but is only getting stronger as time passes!" he spat at him, then turned to the rest of his family. "Do you think me weak!? Then fight me, right here, right now, and I'll gladly _demonstrate _otherwise!"

He had obviously gained most of their approval – Tchang Zu and Dai Gui in particular were impressed at his display, and needed no further convincing. Xiao Fung too, clapped his hands in approval. Po Kong, however, thought otherwise.

"I do not doubt your strength, nephew." she spoke, and if she was present, would make the very room shake with it. "However your lack of self-control is appalling, breaking under small criticisms and obvious jabs. You should know to expect this."

"He is a disrespectful brat who should be put down!" the injured demon screeched, flaring his wings and wincing subtly. "Willingly attacking-"

"That is enough, youngest." Tso Lan cut in, his voice like the very law and to be adhered to. "Don't be foolish to think that he would of responded any other way. That applies for you too, Bai Tza." he continued. "Po Kong speaks wisdom, Drago. You should follow her words."

He clenched his fists, unable to control the growl that ripped from his throat, however his voice was much more controlled now that he got a firm grasp over his unpredictable anger. "I am sick and tired of listening to this. I-"

Firm grasp of his anger? Much like loose touch. He wasn't utterly unaware of what he could end up doing, so as to avoid accidently assaulting his eldest Uncle, or anyone other than the annoying bat, he simply turned on his heel and stormed out, slamming the door in his wake.

There was a brief silence that fell over the family, with Shendu slowly raising a hand to partly cover his face, a mixture of awe at his son's ability but also embarrassment at his temper tantrum.

"He is young." the Moon Demon dismissed. "He will learn in time."

"Not soon enough." grumbled the Sky Demon, but he was promptly ignored.

* * *

As they knew there would more of the shadowy ninjas where they came from, Uncle had no other choice but to allow Jade access into Shendu's magic chamber through the private passageway he had discovered some years ago.

He knew this was dangerous, and the moment they exited, they were enemies, to be hunted and killed. His grandniece seemed to think otherwise, as he noted with her expertise with handling the cauldron and throwing ingredients in there carefully.

"What are you creating?" he asked, adjusting his glasses as he peered at this strange concoction. If she was aiming to make potions, he couldn't guess as to what they would do.

"A little something that you made in the real reality a while ago. You let me watch, even when Jackie didn't want me to. Said it'll get me into magic and I 'really shouldn't be interested'." she scoffed. "Shendu draws his power from twelve talismans. This little baby right here will help us yank 'em straight out."

"Feh." the once powerful good Chi Wizard disregarded. "There is no such thing as talismans. Shendu is all powerful."

"Trust me, Uncle." she said tirelessly, pouting at how often she had to say it. "Besides, I'm only after four.. maybe six specific talismans. It'll be nice to have them all, but beggars can't be choosers."

She tossed another ingredient in, pulling herself backwards as it exploded in a cloud of green smoke, and as it dispersed, the liquid was complete, a bright green. She took an empty, large vial and filled it, corking it and nodding to herself. "Spell one complete.. and a little extra."

"Now.. to create a mark removing- Duh!" She groaned. "I wasn't there for that part! I don't suppose you know how to create tattoo removing chi potions?"

"No."

"Didn't think so.. hum.. guess I'll have to rely on a certain little black and white tiger should things go south.. First things first. Demon Archive."

"Jade, I do not think that you should be tampering with ancient tome filled with demonic knowledge." he said, but it fell on deaf ears as she rummaged around through piles of spellbooks strewn about, huffing and throwing them behind her. Her luck paid off, however, as she cast her gaze sidelong, she caught a glimpse of it on it's pedestal. She grinned uneasily, and walked up towards it, even despite Uncle's initial protest.

"No other choice." she finally said, more to herself than to him. "Fancy footwork may work on those 'khan, but we're gonna need some serious power to take on the flying dragons." She reached out to grasp the book, but found herself gasping loudly as it reacted violently at her touch.

The mark on the book intensified as her fingers lay upon it; as if sensing of what she was in the past, as she remained unchanged to the powers of the Ages. It glowed; and seared her very finger tips, and she hissed as she was unable to even pull away. Seeing something go wrong, Uncle attempted to approach her, but was knocked back heavily as a power surge rippled and burst, erupting throughout the chamber, with a bright light following suit.

This sudden activity was not unnoticed; as scores of Shadowkhan formed after the light started to dim and blanket the room back into it's lowlight. They did not move, however, stiff and frozen in place.

What bothered Jade, was as she turned around to face them, she felt unchanged. Well, if not a little pain in her hands from the book. She glanced down to her legs – Oh.

Clear as day, the black mark of Tarakudo was painted on; and as it started to fade, like sinking into her skin, she could feel the unlimited possibilities drive within her. She started to _feel _the power, awakening within her. She just had to be careful this time – if she abused her powers again, she'll just end up going crazy. Sure, there was a possible inevitability of that happening anyway, but she wanted to prolong it for as long as she could.

Her voice had taken on an airy hiss too, but not quite like how it was back the first time she gave herself the self-proclaimed title of 'Queen'. She couldn't hear HER thoughts either, but.. it was only a matter of time. Feeling as if she was now on the clock, she begun;

"Let's get to work, boys. We have some talismans to nab, and I just happen to have the perfect idea on _how."_


	6. Experience

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures. This work is purely for fun and is **no way** earning me money.

**Created and written:** by Sacide Darkpath.

**Special thanks to: **Eduard Kassel for the prompt of a chapter header, among other things, and chaotic9 for being extremely supportive.

**Warnings**: Mild-to-moderate violence, mild suggestive themes, moral dilemmas and issues. Rated T accordingly.

* * *

_Chapter Six: Experience._

It was hard for the young girl to truly describe how this returning power felt. On the one hand, it was a welcome familiarity, as scary as it sounded, to feel the rush of endless possibilities flow from her fingertips to her toes. Yes, some may argue, that it was Dark Chi, and that she shouldn't be so revitalized about it, but she just didn't understand.

She wasn't a demon, or even willingly evil, like criminals. Surely, what makes a spell bad is the purpose of it, right? If one such as herself used her Shadowkhan for the forces of good, would that not just make them good, too? Questions and thoughts like these were ones she had the first time she accepted the mark, and they resurfaced along with it.

Jade knew this was the first step. Someone – no, some_thing _inside of her is trying to reason her, get her to explore the nature of the dark, mystical arts and lower her guard, let her inherently good chi be overrun. She begrudgingly accepted the fact that she may end up turning back to who she once was. She considered the risks, but she strived on her ability to adapt to a situation. This time, she had one factor that changed everything.

Experience.

The preteen _knew_ of what to expect in the coming days, and she _knew_ how to combat this, to stall it and prolong it the best she could. It didn't help that she'd be throwing all caution in the wind to test her "perfect" idea of acquiring the talismans, which wasn't as bulletproof as she would of liked. There was still a one in twelve chance she'd take out a completely irrelevant power.

Super-strength, levitation, speed, shape-shifting, motion to the motionless, invisibility.. while all of them sounded tempting, they would be better use with her uncles and the J-Team. She entrusted Uncle to inform Jackie of the potion, and perhaps take out a few good ones to assist the team.

That left healing, immortality, spiritual balance, astral projection, combustion and heat beam eyes. Again, the horse, dog, pig and dragon respectively were of no use to her – at least, she rather have her family make use of them. She had her wits, her cunning knowledge and martial arts. The Shadowkhan as well – but, she didn't want to use them so actively.

Spiritual balance, and astral projection.. the Tiger and the Sheep. Oh, how she laughed at the two before, thinking they were completely useless powers, and now, she had to hope to her lucky stars that this is what she pulled out. The tiger was her last resort, the moment before she lost control to HER, she'd activate the powers and separate them, which still gave the world a chance to be saved.

The Sheep was a curious one. Not only will it be useful for scouting, it would also help contact or get in touch with anyone through meditation or their dreams. That way, she can still speak to her family without being so close to them. Of course, Jade was sketchy at best of the power, as it was not one of her most used or experimented one. She couldn't consider or even believe to think there was any danger to it.

Her thoughts immediately turned to the time when Shendu had briefly possessed her, and she shuddered. Okay, so there was a risk of a raging spirit entering her vessel, but she'll make special precautions before using the talisman to minimize that risk.

A part of her mind snarked at her methods, a sudden, irrepressible thought that she did not need ANY of the talismans, that she had far better powers to be dabbling in pathetic stones. Aware of her thoughts, and the implications behind them, she realised she may not have as much time as she originally believed. A racking sigh escaped her, catching the curiosity of the present Shadowkhan that seemed to be unwilling to do anything until she did.

All it means is that she would have to take the bull by the horns, and not dilly dally, at least that is what Jade hoped, and there was nothing between the lines of accepting the mark that she hadn't previously thought or sussed out.

She raised a hand to place it on her forehead, muttering something incoherent. Her cold tips were a stark contrast to the boiling heat she felt radiate from her head. That headache she received from simply entering this reality had yet to cease, and she thought her head would spontaneously combust. One of the shadowy warriors stepped forward, even displaying hesitance which was unheard of the lifeless creatures, it seemed worried for her safety, and unsure on how to assist her.

Shakily, she waved it off, which they had taken out of context as a complete dismissal; melting into the darkness and leaving her alone. Jade sighed, then clasped her hands.

"Okay, so, Uncle." she turned on her heel to face the frightened old man; face alight with morbid awe at her. She cleared her throat.

Jade quickly gave him the run down of the Immortals and their respective symbols to combat the demons. She hoped that the demons prioritised her over the J-Team, so that they may accomplish their goals and in turn, assist her, whilst she drew their attention. She patted her granduncle's shoulder, and offered a wide, carefree grin she was known for.

"I'll keep in contact. Just make sure to be counting sheep." she gave a wink, even if he may not understand just what she meant by that, and faced the emptiness.

"How is Jade going to acquire these 'talismans' she needs? She cannot go up to Shendu and ask!" he pointed out, and she nodded.

"Duh. That's why I'll be travelling through the shadows. I'll only have one shot at this, because I want to minimise how much time I'll be in there." she explained, and slowly raised her arms to chest level. There, she spread her fingers, the palms of her hands facing the ground.

She exhaled slowly, and closed her eyes, tapping into the dark power within her. _Come to me, Shadowkhan. _She thought, projecting such will into her chi and channelling it to the shadows. It felt strange, like a lotus blossom blooming inside of her. Subconscious, fleeting thoughts fluttered through, about her family, her fears, and on the opposite scale, an expressed desire for power. She tried her best to squash them down during the summoning.

_Your Queen calls for you.._

She hated referring herself as that. She was not HER, not any more. However, the khan themselves couldn't distinguish that after she once more accepted the mark.

The darkness and shadows before her amassed, and out came something... that almost made her yelp in sudden surprise.

It was not a.. well, for a lack of a better word, Jade would have to call them "Ninja-Khan." The one she had summoned was tall, with a more pointed, angular head. It stood impressively over the young girl and man, standing on what appeared to be pointed protrusions. The deadliest thing (and that was saying a lot) about this khan, was the elongated fingers, that were more like knives. It reminded the girl of the character _Wolverine, _from the comics she read.

It still seemed to be bent to her will, though. Upon seeing her, it knelt down the best it could, crossing it's arms, which caused the sharp, metal-like fingers to be dangerous close to it's own head. Several others of the same kind as this appeared not too soon after, awaiting their orders.

"T-That's not.." she bumbled out, stepping back a little. "I thought.. how is.. But the.." she shook her head furiously. "This is freaky. I don't remember being able to create new Shadowkhan.."

Jade decided that it was probably just this strange reality. Maybe Shendu created new types of Shadowkhan as an experiment? Truly, she wasn't the most knowledgeable about the history or lore behind the race, and frankly when the world was at stake and she was on a time limit, she can contemplates the 'why' and 'how' at a later date.

"Nevermind." she muttered. "Can you still take me through the Shadows? Keep me hidden. I need to tail Shendu and wait til' he's alone."

The one that was summoned first raised it's head, nodding. The red, v-shape that served as it's eyes seemed to glow as Jade was surrounded by this new type. She idly thought of what to call them – they weren't exactly _ninjas, _so.. To keep things simple, she decided to call these type of khan the 'Razor', because their most defining feature were their super sharp fingers.

"Jade!" Uncle called out, but it was too late. She offered him a wave and a thumbs up, as the Shadowkhan swarmed and dragged her into the darkness, through the shadows. The old man was left alone, staring at the space she once occupied, a moment of silence and regret moving through him.

He needed to find Jackie.

* * *

The banquet of the demons drew to a close as the late afternoon rolled by, splashing into the evening, although it was hard to tell by the permanently darkened red sky. Most of the food had been devoured by this point, and much discussion had been ensued after Drago's leave. Tso Lan gently tapped his foreclaws together, glancing at his siblings and pleasantly surprised that they could all behave for once.

_'Like babysitting children, sometimes.' _He thought in amusement, yet the sentiment did not reach to his face.

"I believe that it is time for us to take our leave." he announced, drawing the attention of his siblings as they murmured or grunted in mutual agreement of the Eldest. Some, like Po Kong or Bai Tza left without a second thought, the latter particularly because she wanted to get back to her underwater empire and in an element that was familiar to her.

As the rest made a move to exit in various ways, Hsi Wu lingered, sneering darkly at the humanoid, large dragon. "Make sure you put some semblance of respect into your _son. _The next time, he won't be so lucky."

"Luck, dear brother, has nothing to do with it." Shendu hissed. "He would-"

Tso Lan audibly sighed – of course, they couldn't go five minutes without another argument about to break out. He monotonously glanced towards them; his gaze piercing and silencing the two quickly. Taking the hint, the bat demon was quick to spread his great wings, and flapped them annoyingly; causing a violent wind to flow through the room and upset the neatness.

He took off without another word, flying out through the balcony window.

Shendu narrowed his eyes, watching his younger sibling leave, and snorted in disgust. He stood up from his throne, ignoring the servants rushing about to clean up the mess that was made; as well as clearing up the table. The Moon demon left without another word, whereas the dragon descended the steps and decided he would speak to Drago.

The fire sorcerer hated being shown up. Drago's actions had consequences, anything that he did, then the older dragon would be held accounted for. Responsible, as his father. He sneered to himself – they never had the best of relationships. He begun to walk through the vast hallways, and in mind, he knew the perfect place where his son would go to relieve stress, tension and anger.

The Dojo.

Unfortunately, Shendu was about to be met with a nasty surprise.

Being a rather large being, he cast quite a shadow. He was unaware of the Razorkhan emerging from it, as well as a young child. Giving her a boost, they chucked the girl straight at his back, and Jade was able to plunge her chi-coated hands into the scaly hide of the demon. It was an odd feeling – like butter, or other semi-thick substances. She latched on for dear life as he suddenly reared, roaring in confusion and taken off guard.

"What is the meaning-!?" he shouted, twisting his head to look over his shoulder and could barely see the top of her head. She turned, and met his gaze, and had the audacity to even give a cheeky grin. He tried to shake of her off and claw her; but she placed her feet to his back and back flipped off, her landing a bit wobbly, but otherwise dodging his attempt.

"And little Jadester pulls out.." Her face fell. "Rooster? Monkey? That's not going to he-Ayah!"

She quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding a cone of fire that spewed from the mouth of the dragon. The commotion was enough to wake the jade statues, which, she found out were indeed alive. They lost their gem-quality, becoming the winged beasts she had witnessed before. They too, leered towards her, stepping forward threateningly.

"How were you able to escape the changes?! No matter. You will be incinerated!" he bellowed once. He was affronted, as he aimed a sizeable fireball in her direction; something that looked like a Shadowkhan jumped up, defending her as it took the hit. That was impossible, he controlled them!

Unless..

He brought up his arm and smacked away another one of those strange shadowy warriors, using his heat beam eyes to blast another. They began to swarm him, trying to overrun and keep his attention focused on them. He spared another glance to the child as he kept himself from harm, and indeed, his thoughts were confirmed – her skin was starting to take on a light blue tint. It wasn't enough to drain the peachy colour of her skin yet, and her eyes were still those honey golden, but it was noticeable.

She shivered a little, but activated the Rooster talisman to levitate herself around him. She tossed the Monkey one, as it was useless for her, and stuck her hands into his back. Shendu tried to stop her, but these Razorkhan were incredibly agile, able to weave in and out of his swings and keep the dragon minions preoccupied.

"Ahah. Here we go. I'm sure you won't mind me taking ol' Tiger and Sheep." she casually said, hopping off his back with her prize.

Those chose of talismans were to be expected, now that he knew the situation at hand. He tried a different tactic.

"You do not comprehend what you have done upon taking that mark, child." he forced out, bringing his arms up to defend himself at one of the khan's attacks; the blades sharp enough to even pierce his demon dragon skin and leave a slither of blood in it's wake.

"All I know is that I can make some new friends, as you see there, and that it makes your day bad." she shot back. "Oh, and don't even think about hurting Jackie or Uncle. Because I will know."

She made a gesture, and as Shendu tried to make a last ditch attempt to harm her with both his beam-eyes and fire breath, she had already sunk into the shadows once more, and there was not a trace of her left, nor the khan. He stood there, claws enclosed tightly into fists as he grimaced.

With no threat present, the dragon minions went back to their pillars, curling around them and turning into stone once more. The demon sorcerer growled. The Child knew of the previous reality, or else she wouldn't of been able to make that talisman potion brew, or even know of the talismans to begin with. That also meant, that Jackie Chan and the old chi wizard knew.

Priorities. Jackie Chan would of prevented her taking the mark, or at the very least be with her now. He probably had no idea she had done this. Regardless, he needed to inform his siblings.

His grimace only grew. They were going to blame this on him, and just after they were starting to respect him again. Shendu knew that with her taking the Mark of Tarakudo once again and assuming the role of Queen, especially in this reality he had written, it could mean only one thing.

The Oni have been awakened.

He had to contact Tso Lan and inform him of this development immediately. He stalled for a moment.

For the time being, however, he would send Drago to hunt her down, keep her busy. The best he could hope for, is that she did not meet with the Oni, nor the King, for what would entail should they meet, he did not know, nor want to find out.


	7. The Shadow Realm

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures, this work of fiction is purely for fun and is no way earning me money.

**Created and Written by**: Sacide Darkpath

**Warnings**: mild-to-moderate violence, mild suggestive themes and moral dilemmas & issues. Rated T accordingly.

**Notes:** With the christmas week coming up, I may not be able to update as frequently as I have. So expect updates to be a little slow. I'll most likely still be here to reply to and private messages, so don't worry about that if you need to contact me =)

* * *

_Chapter 7: The Shadow Realm._

Shendu had continued his path to the dojo, for if Drago was to be the one to begin the hunt, then he would need to be informed just what he was up against. Some may scoff or even mock his sudden cautiousness about this issue, but he had learned through experience that even the smallest thing bearing the name of 'Chan' was not to be underestimated.

It hurt his pride, it really did. This much he had to force back to admit that the child – one simple, insignificant, human child – was a threat not only to him or his empire, but to his entire family as well. He could feel his dignity beginning to shrink even comprehending the power he had sensed from within her.

_'It's the Mark, not the child. It merely requires a vessel.' _he tried to reason with himself, but there was no mistaking her own chi, skill, and craft. Perhaps this is why Drago will be more than her equal; because the half-dragon displayed alternate and youthful, new ways of adapting that he nor his siblings could ever achieve.

He finally arrived at his destination; and drew back the closed doors to reveal his son. Littered around him was the charred remains of the wooden dummies of various types; as well as destroyed weapon racks and melted equipment scattered around. It was as if a hurricane of fire erupted into the room, and he wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly what happened.

Drago himself resided by the middle of the room, his back to the door as he sat. His legs were crossed, and Shendu could hear his deep inhales and exhales, permeated with the odd growl escaping. Having unleashed his rage, the half-breed was content to meditate his exertion off. Tapping into his father's side took quite a lot from his, especially in prolonged use.

Other than his breathing which made his chest rise and fall; he was as still as stone, seemingly staring blankly at the wall ahead of him. Shendu entered the room, and that was when life returned to him.

"What do you want, old man?" he snapped, turning to look over his shoulder and glare at his father scornfully. "Come to scold me for the 'failure I am'? For 'showing you up'?"

Shendu narrowed his eyes, but refrained from biting back. Instead, he approached him and gently (as gentle as a demon sorcerer could be, which was, not at all. Deception was one thing, but genuine softness was impossible.) spoke. "Mistakes were made and to be learned from, but there are far more important issues to deal with."

"Such as?"

"There is much to discuss. Come."

Using the secret passageways that interconnected rooms in a labyrinth of twists, turns, staircases and hidden, magic-revealed doors, they made it to the other side of the palace in record time to the magic chamber. The older, humanoid dragon was ticked off to note the mess of ingredients, opened canisters and bottles that had been carelessly tossed. Pages of books lay on the floor, and the untidyness of it all suggested that the girl paid an unwelcome, extensive visit here.

What surprised him, however, was that his archive remained at it's pedestal. He stepped towards it, peering at the cover, noting how the Mark of Tarakudo had long since diminished from it, as if the very image had been ripped from it's place. He grasped the archive, and was able to handle it with ease, but could note it radiated an unnatural amount of heat.

As a demon sorcerer of Fire, however, in conjunction of being a dragon, he was immune to many types of magical and physical fire. He flipped through the pages; everything else remained the same. Dark Chi spells he had recorded through the ages, as well as his own personal notes on spell-weaving, and creating new spells, not to mention the methods of such casting and other knowledge.

Drago folded his arms, snorting impatiently as he eyed the pig-sty that his father called a magic chamber. His tail flicked the air in agitation, until finally Shendu placed the tome down.

"My archive once bore the symbol known as the 'Mark of Tarakudo'-" he begun, but was promptly cut off.

"Can we skip the history lesson?" the teen spat. "If there is such emergencies to be attended to, we should be doing as that."

"Patience!" hissed the full demon, raising a claw to pinch at the bridge of his snout. '_The boy is so alike to the child, it is uncanny. Headstrong, impatient and rushing into things they truly do not fully understand..'_

Despite the annoyed sigh from his son, Shendu was able to continue. "The Mark would amplify and draw out the user's Dark Chi, empathizing it to allow potent magic. It was commonly used to brand mortal followers of Tarakudo to transform them into Shadowkhan, and allow them safe passage through the realm of shadows. Mortals and even Demons believed it's use became obsolete when he was originally defeated."

His grimace returned. "That was, until very recent years, before I had sought out the Book of Ages. One human, unwittingly, accepted the mark upon her person, and the results were far worse than I had considered, for she had declared herself Queen of the Shadowkhan."

If Drago possessed eyebrows, he would of raised one skeptically, as he could slowly see where this was going. "You cannot be serious-"

"The child known as Jade Chan, was that human."

"I.. am not surprised." he flatly responded to this revelation. Some cruel fate was laughing upon him and the demons, that it was this specific person. One, along with her meddlesome family, that was constantly curb-stomping their attempts, and now, they risked the integrity of the entire fabricated world of non-reality because of her. But, like he had said – he was not phased at this information.

His tail swatted the air in his irritation once more. Through the books he had read from his father's library, he had understood the basics between the demons and the Shadowkhan. It was not a happy relationship. He knew that the shadowy warriors that had been under his father's control had not served him willingly, either.

The ones that had lead the Shadowkhan race, were known as the Oni. While he cared less of history, or in this reality, current events, he was informed of them, and Tarakudo, the King.

The King and Queen of the Shadowkhan.. the power that they would wield should they be reunited. He found himself now mildly interested.

"She has once again taken up this mantle, however she is reluctant to succumb to the inevitable darkness that grows inside of her." his father rambled on. "She is also unaware that she has reawakened them through her calls. She must not meet with Tarakudo, for it will spell the end to the reign of demons."

"She's a child." pointed out the half-dragon. "A moderately-power boosted child, but one nevertheless. Surely this should be as easy as taking food from a baby. Just immolate her or something."

"She is no longer mortal." his father was quick to bite back. "Although she clings onto some vague hope she is, it is merely a dormant power waiting to be arose from it's slumber. Tarakudo has the means to do this."

"Poetic." commented Drago. "So, let me guess. You want me to be the one that stops her meeting the King."

"You will do more than prevent her from that." His red eyes narrowed into slits. "You will eliminate her, once and for all."

Rolling his shoulders back, Drago straightened up and allowed a grin to form on his face. To be given the honour, over all of his uncles and aunts that hadn't been able to best a Chan, now he, the 'half breed', will be able to track, hunt, and kill one. His grin spread, bearing his sharp teeth as he definitely liked this idea.

"Gladly."

"Do not underestimate her, Drago." warned Shendu sternly. "Your arrogance will only be your downfall. Use this chamber as you see fit. I suggest a locator spell. For now, I will take my leave to contact Tso Lan."

"Yeah yeah." he waved him off, unfurling his arms and stepping onwards, already picking out ingredients. Confident in his own abilities and that Jade would be no true threat to deal with, he was taking it easy. The older dragon lingered for a moment, shaking his head before exiting.

Now alone, Drago set to work on casting a locator spell to find Jade Chan.

* * *

She really had a habit of getting lost.

After she had plunged into the shadows once more after retrieving the talismans of Spiritual Balance and Astral Projection off from Shendu, she hadn't gotten a coherent thought of destination of where she wanted to be; and thus ended somewhere in the shadows. It was a strange, strange place to her.

Given that she still had thoughts of the palace; that is where she still currently was. The shadows emulated this; giving her a detailed, grey and black map of the interior of the palace, with some areas darker than others to indicate where she can emerge from in the shadows. The grey areas merely gave her a better sense of direction and scope. She walked aimlessly. Even though the shadow realm had no wind blow, or any weather to speak was, she begun to shiver uncontrollably.

Wrapping her arms around herself and shakily drawing breaths, she decided to at least make her way out of the accursed place. Her eyes glanced upwards, catching sight of creatures that lurked in this unforgiving world, snaking through and disappearing without a trail. She was surprised they paid her absolutely no attention – as if it was completely _fine _for her to be here.

Unbeknownst to her, she was being followed.

"I have to get out of here.." she mumbled to herself, raking a hand through her thick, ebony locks of hair, and trying not to pay any attention to some of the spikes starting to stick up on their own accord, like it possessed their own gravitational field. Her skin was unnaturally cold, even in this place of no light, and she could see the light blue hue that marred her otherwise peachy white skin.

If she had a mirror on her person, she would also see that her left eye had partly succumbed to the transformation; her iris went from honey golden to varying scarlet, and if one could look into her eyes; and through the gateway they held to the soul, would see the Mark.

She had made it out of the palace through the shadow realm, and peered around the bright grey area, looking around for dark spots she could pop out of. Jade made a soft exclamation when she spied a withered, dead, husk of a tree, and the thin shadow it sported in the evening sun. As she was about to make her way towards it, however, she halted in her tracks, befuddled.

Seemingly out of nowhere – she blinked, that was all – there was now a figure that reclined against the tree. He was tall, imposingly so, with fine cut regal clothes, yet practical, too. It was like an old fashioned karate gi. Black, with red trimmings and markings, which contrasted nicely against his orange coloured skin.

The biggest give away that he wasn't a demon sorcerer was that his eyes were yellow; both in sclera and iris. They were almost the same shade as hers – or at least, her natural one. He bore black markings on his face; as well as the usual horns and spikes. Lastly, was the white fluffy eyebrows, moustache and goatee.

"I thought I sensed someone sneaking about in the shadows." he commented casually, and Jade was surprised to hear that his voice wasn't exactly unpleasant. It barely held it's demonic undercurrents, but there was something in his tone that didn't make her immediately want to bolt it.

"Uh.." was all she was able to manage.

"Introductions are in order, I believe." he stated, inclining his head down to her.

"Tarakudo. King of all Shadowkhan, Lord of All Oni." He knelt down to match her height, peering at her curiously; and noticeably staring at her left eye. She felt a little unnerved now, and did indeed take a step back. He raised a hand to idly stroke his white goatee in what seemed to be amusement.

"Hm. I expected the Queen of all Shadowkhan to be a little.." he paused for a moment, thinking of the right words. "..Older, with the amount of power you sent through here. Pleasantly surprised. I can see age has no restriction to your potentiality."

This seemed to cause a whip to snap over her mind, awaken her from this silent stupor as she shook her head, taking a multitude of step backs from this apparent "king", clear distrust marked in her features.

"Look, King-Tara-who-who, but I am not _HER. _I'm going to leave here, because I don't want you to pull some freaky 'Oni' trick and turn me into her without my consent." the girl was quick to say, relying on her usual savyness to identify that he might try something like that. It was odd, however, as he stood up to his height, and indeed, gave her distance, which made her feel a little better.

"It's Tarakudo and I wouldn't do anything of the sort, little lady." he pointed out. "I don't rely on cheap magical tricks as the Chinese demons do. Although, I am curious as to you calling yourself 'her', as if she was a separate being?"

"Well.." Jade hesitated, awkwardly rubbing her arm. "She's more like my dark-half." she stalled a little, glancing away "I shouldn't be here..-"

"Grant me one courtesy, to listen to what I have to say." he stated, and lowered himself to sit cross-legged, and gestured for her to join him beside the tree. "I merely need to speak with you, and I will leave you to your own devices afterwards."

Jade eyed him carefully. Her guard was up, but the very fact he hadn't outright attempted anything yet made her relax a little. Might as well listen to what he has to say. Still keeping a distance between them, she too sat down cautiously.

"Alright, but I'm warning you." she pointed at him accusingly. "One move and I'll leave without a second glance, and treat you as an enemy. The exits just there."

Tarakudo chuckled, but nodded. "I accept those terms." He leant back against the tree, hands resting on his knees as he cleared his throat.

"Now, I am sure you are in need of some answers. The extent of the mark, your ability to summon more than just the Ninjakhan-"

"You know about that?" she blurted out.

He gave her a pointed look. "King of all Shadowkhan, remember? We have the same extent of abilities.. you, on the other hand, possess a few more, but we'll get to that. Secondly your call was impossible to ignore. They were certainly eager to snap up a chance to present themselves to you and prove themselves worthy."

"Uh.. They?"

"It appears I'll have to begin from the top, then." He mused. "Time for a crash course on what you would know as Japan's history.."


	8. Big Trouble in Shadow Realm

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures, this work of fiction is purely for fun and is no way earning me money.

**Created and Written by**: Sacide Darkpath

**Notes**: Merry Christmas, and have a happy new year! This chapter is brought early as my present from me to you, the reader. Many hugs, and thank you much for the support. Hope you have a great Christmas!

I am so sorry I'll be leaving you in this kinda cliff-hangery type thing. But trust me, stuff is gonna go down that'll make you surprised. Oh, and, while she has become Queen, I can reveal – what talismans did she take from Shendu? Tiger and Sheep. Keep that in mind, because they have NOT been forgotten.

**Warnings**: mild-to-moderate violence, mild suggestive themes, moral issues and dilemmas. Rated T accordingly.

* * *

_Chapter 8_: _Big Trouble in Shadow Realm._

Jade Chan contemplated Tarakudo's words. She was surprised to find herself completely relaxed around the Oni, and that troubled her. The girl's natural instincts was to keep her guard up at all times, and to ready herself for any time she needed to quickly spring up or dodge roll to the side. The more he spoke, however, the more she found her defences slipping, to the point she had drawn her knees up to her chest and rested her chin atop them in thought, rather than the rigid, tense muscles she had earlier.

He had, indeed, gave her a crash course on the history that surrounded him and the origin of the Oni. From what she could tell, her deeply rooted 'spy skills' came up that he wasn't lying... atleast not completely. Perhaps omitting some things, or simplifying others, but there were key points he could of not stated to make who he was more appealing, but he did not.

"Eat the souls of naughty children, huh?" she had quipped at one point, perking an eyebrow at the King.

He waved it off dismissively. "Myth. We prefer brains."

"Because that's _so _much better."

He had ignored that and continued then, and Jade was informed about the structure. Nine Oni Generals. One King that served as both the leader of the Generals (Marshal?) and equal to the Queen of the Shadowkhan. He hadn't exactly elaborated the reason of this structure, or truly went into depth in his role, and she was glad, because it was entirely confusing to her.

It wasn't that it was difficult to grasp, it was as if Tarakudo was omitting quite a lot of information in that regards.

"The Queen of the Shadowkhan's role is quite an important one in our race-" he was once again cut off.

"Don't need to know that, not going to become her." she was quick to try and dismiss it, briefly looking away to try and hide her growing interest, which she was sure that was not entirely hers, but something inside of her that yearned to learn more. The Oni pursed his lips, then smoothly replied in a tone of faux disappointment.

"Shame. I was just about to get to the part where you would learn to harness your Chi Magic, as well as perfect your physical being with a variety of martial arts.. for self-control and self-defence, naturally."

_'Well played.'_ She thought with a wince, because that aspect truly appealed to her, something she didn't want to. Power didn't interest her in the slightest, because she knew too much of it was corruptive, but he had certainly dangled this titbit at a different angle. One that she was finding hard to resist. She shook her head lightly. What was she thinking? Oni were evil!

..Right? Tarakudo had said that they reigned over Japan for a while and was sealed away. For a rebellion to rise up to do so, they must of not been very good rulers. She idly entwined her fingers together, partly burying her face against her knees as she rolled over the issues in her mind. If.. if she was the one that lead them, would the same result happen? Would the Oni willingly follow her if she did not make "evil" decisions?

The orange-skinned demon beside her carefully watched her reactions, trying to process all of the information. He hummed slightly, before casually remarking; "Of course, you wouldn't be asked to use either magic nor martial arts if you did not wish to. Myself, the Generals, and their respective Shadowkhan are here to fight for you."

"Willingly follow me?" she prompted. "Any decision I make..?"

"Within reason, of course. We would be forced to dismiss the order if it endangered our race and empire." he stated, with a noticeable pause as he constructed his words. He decided he would have to mention something he wanted to hold back, because if she did willingly come to his side; then it would be inevitable.

"..when you are old enough to give orders. One of my duties as King of the Shadowkhan is to rule while the Queen is either absent, or too young." He drummed his fingers against his knee. "The better half of your years will be spent studying and learning. Your opinions on matters are still taken in account." he quickly added. "And would be considered before I finalize an order."

Jade frowned, but the darker half of her tried to make her see that it wasn't so bad. She would get to study Chi Magic like she always wanted to, and she would be accepted wholeheartedly, rather than how her Uncle dismissed her. Something started to boil inside of her then, and she briefly shut her eyes. Uncle. There was no mistaking that he knew of her potential, but rather to cultivate it and allow her to learn Good Chi..

He picks an ex-criminal as his apprentice, who had no prior knowledge. She, whom had the advantage of youthful vigour that only boosted her power and possibilities, was a worse candidate than a four-eighty-five pound sumo that had once tried to kill them.

"But it's Dark Magic." she said aloud without realising it, muttering and arguing with herself.

"Actually, you would learn a variety of neutral chi magic as well." mused Tarakudo, surprising her as he answered, which made her rub the back of her neck awkwardly.

"Neutral Chi Magic? That exists?"

"Oh, very much so. Quite potent. A fine example is 'stone magic'. You could paralyse an opponent, create earthen golems, the list goes on." he smiled as he knew he must be getting close.

_'Really think about this for a moment, Jade. Who are we fighting, should you agree and allow me to fully manifest? Demons. So, what if you go after the book with the Oni, and change this, what are you changing? Demon's rule.' _There was that nagging voice again, speaking to her. Jade hadn't noticed that, with the longer she spent in this shadow realm, the more progressively blue her skin had become; as well as the the Queen's voice getting stronger and able to form more coherent sentences.

_'No matter what way you cut it, you're doing good. The Oni are not evil. Just 'cause something is dark, doesn't make it evil. Take Captain Black for example. Tall, imposing, black trench coat.. but he's very much good.'_

Jade had to hand it to her, she had a point there.

_'Let me take over. We'll learn dark magic, yes, but it's HOW you use it. The purpose.'_

"The.. The ends don't justify the means." she finally stated, quietly. Tarakudo respectfully remained silent, inspecting the child and letting her fight this mental battle.

'_Desperate times. That's why you took the mark in the first place, remember? Do you want this world to be saved or not?'_

"It'll be trading one dark master for another."

_'Okay, how about using the Oni for your own goal, then? Make them fight the demons, you get to change the book to how you want. Everything will go back to normal.'_

"That's no better than what someone like Shendu would do. I'd still know what I did. I'd have to live with that forever."

'_Why are you so stubborn!' _the Queen hissed unexpectedly, pausing, then muttering something incoherent as Jade allowed a small grin to her face. As the growing influence quietened down, she faced back to Tarakudo; whom had raised an eyebrow in amusement at her antics.

"I can see you wont be joining us." he murmured. "A deal is a deal. I won't trouble you further with it. My patience can span for millennia, I can wait for the -" He suddenly flatly stopped; eyes widening as a harsh shiver took over him, which only served to alarm him briefly, before his face settled into a sharp glare, outwards into the shadows.

"Wait for the.." she mimicked his noise, peering at him, almost chuckling the very fact that his action reminded her strongly of Uncle and when he used to get the 'willies'

"We have some uninvited company." he said, raising to his feet and gestured for her to follow.

* * *

The locator spell had directed Drago to the realm of Shadows. This at first proved to be the first real block to his hunt, as the Shadowkhan were out of Shendu's command, and in turn, his. He was determined to not let this issue get the best of him, especially so early into his mission. Thus, he had flipped through the Demon Archive and found the spell he sought after.

Shadow Magic was impossible for mortals to wield, for the dark power could only be mastered by demons and creatures of the darkness. It was similar to how they nor himself could ever hope to possess Good Chi Magic, and all of it's types.

He cleared a space in the centre of the room, standing there directly. He brought up his arms, and placed his hands near enough together to give the allusion of praying. The half-dragon inhaled deeply, before exhaling slowly as he centred himself to begin focusing on his demonic heritage.

There, he was able to begin absent-mindedly chanting the incantations required, using his tail to grasp at a vial that contained swirling, pure concentrated shadow. Bringing it over, he poured it directly under him.

"Take me to the Shadow Realm." he announced, breaking his ritualistic words. He stayed perfectly still, as was instructed, and allowed the shadow to spread on the ground, before he began to sink in it. Closing his eyes, the substance overtook him completely, as if swallowing him whole.

By the time he opened his eyes, the entire palace's interior was now coated with grey and black. He looked over himself, seeing that he remained in total colour. He brought out a piece of Jade's hair that he used to locate that she was in this realm, and used it again to provide him a compass.

He began to make his way out of the palace, but was stopped suddenly as a deafening screech ripped through. Drago was quick to fall into stance, eyes darting about cautiously as the threat presented itself in the form of three shadow serpents.

They slithered straight at him at alarming speeds; and he tensed his muscles, before offering his own roar of intimidation. His claw shot out, piercing into the body of one of the serpents and sweeping it across to daze the other two. He increased the pressure on the one he had caught, and it dissipated into darkness.

The other two recovered from their momentary daze, but it was too late. Drago grabbed both of them, spinning them rapidly and throwing them into the grey wall of the palace, to which they seemed to disappear through. He sneered, and merely adjusted his sleeveless shirt. Distractions and delays.

"Impressive display." a voice halted him, much to his annoyance. "What business do you have here, junior?"

He swivelled around on the heel of his clawed foot, only to break out into a smug grin as it seemed his prey came to him. A shame – he'd of wanted to actually chase her, but oh well. He recognized the girl, despite her now completely teal-blue skin; puffed up hair and red irises.

The one whom spoke, however, wasn't one he was familiar with personally, but was just as recognizable. "Tarakudo." he identified. "Step aside and maybe my old man will consider mercy on your pathetic little reawakened empire."

"Is that any way to respect your elders?" the King of all Shadowkhan tutted. Jade peeked out from behind him. She grimaced lightly.

"Scaleface- Drago." she corrected herself, casting the half-breed's attention to her. He snarled at her for daring to address him, but she quickly continued. "Use your brain. It's two against one. I'm saving you a whole lot of bruises here, which is something you didn't do for me. Walk away."

"Oh, that's rich." he snapped. "You think I would actually do that? This time, _Jade, _I'll be leaving more than just bruises. You'll be a corpse when I'm through!"

_'Well, he certainly isn't playing around. I'm surprised. I half expected an attempted kidnapping, not going straight to kill. I kinda like his attitude, he'd make a fun toy.' _the Queen commented, and Jade promptly ignored her. She moved out from around Tarakudo, standing by his side as she too, brought up her more modern stance she was more acquainted to.

"A junior fire demon – who isn't even a full demon – insulting the Queen of Shadowkhan, within her own realm." Tarakudo speculated aloud, with a sarcastic edge of amusement to his tone. "You are very foolish."

"Enough talk!" spat Drago, suddenly leaping forward and planting a flying kick into the Oni's chest. This action caused Jade to exclaim a 'That was my move!' and the aforementioned one spiralling down to the ground. That, however, never came to pass, as he managed to manipulate his spin into a corkscrew and land gracefully onto his feet.

Not one to give a moment's rest, the half-dragon continued his assault with varying blows that were all being parried expertly by Tarakudo. Punches, kicks, even using his tail at one point, was all defended against. He attempted much more advanced moves than simple right and left jabs and hooks; applying all that he learnt and self-taunt.

Unfortunately, with age, comes experience and knowledge, and Tarakudo was quick to predict his moves as soon as he had a grasp of the style of martial arts was using. He had taken note he tried to use a mix; drawing influence from many forms. A jack of all trades, but a master of none.

The King stepped forward, only to momentarily crouch and bring about a low, sweeping kick. The teen had to think quick on his feet to avoid it, and only barely did he manage to bring about a sloppily executed butterfly twist. Luckily, with addition to having his oddly structured legs, tail, and dragon grace, he managed to retain perfect balance.

Jade watched the two duke it out in almost child-like splendour. The moves they pulled off were things she only read about, not ever tried herself. She idly remembered some of them she seen Hak Foo use, although definitely not to this skill level.

She let out a yelp as Drago performed a much better aerial kick; with an addition of breathing his fire; creating a surrounding fire-storm directed at Tarakudo. Due to the fire, he could not block it, only try to fall back and dodge.

The half-dragon gathered the remaining fire, splitting them into two fireballs and hurling them at the two Shadowkhan rulers. Easily, Jade forward rolled out of the way, and Tarakudo merely side stepped. There was a brief moment of reprise.

"You're good, junior." complimented Tarakudo, genuinely. "It seems people rather underestimate the youth of today, hm? Your family would be proud."

"You mean the incompetent old geezers who refuse to let history run it's course?" the part-dragon remarked, sneering balefully. "Who always got their heads stuck in the past, and quick to label anyone associated with humans weak and worthless? Yeah. Real proud."

The fighting resumed not too soon after his comment, but this time with a little different. Drago made a movement to barrel towards Tarakudo, making the Oni King prepare to defend himself, only to look mildly distraught when the half-dragon swerved to the side and tackled _Jade _instead, catching the child off guard as he slammed her through the dark patch, and out of the Shadow Realm.

The transition between the shadow realm to the normal plane of existence was jarring at best. She groaned, as she was able to gather that Drago's hands were wrapped firmly around her neck, the tips of them piercing into her skin as he tried to throttle her. She gurgled out protest; raising her own tiny hands to try and pry his off her neck.

Black splotches were appearing in her vision, as well as bright, white lights. Everything was going bleary as tears sprung into her eyes at the situation, the only vague image she could see was Drago's hate filled face.

'_Let me take over, Jade... you won't survive if you don't. Then nobody will save the world, Jackie, Tohru, Uncle, everyone else will die as a safety measure after this, and everything will be doomed.'_

Her attempts were getting weaker and weaker, and there were no signs of Tarakudo's arrival to come save her. There was no escaping it. Drago was not messing around. He was going to _kill _her!

All of her emotions, all of her fears, worries, dread and anxiety surfaced in one flash of sudden realisation. All of her past death-defying stunts and adventures were meaningless compared to this very real, yet fabricated, reality.

Jade's hand moved from Drago's claw, and the teen was surprised as she placed it onto his chest. His surprise turned quickly into pain as she shot him far across with a surge of dark energy. She coughed violently, greedily gulping in air as she floated, suspended.

He was quick to pick himself up, staring at her now solid red eyes.

"Bow down, pathetic half-mortal." the person in front of him hissed, her voice airy, wispy, and full of malice that would make even Bai Tza impressed. "To the Queen of the Shadowkhan."


	9. Unsettling Revelations

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Jackie Chan Adventures, this work of fiction is purely for fun and is no way earning me money.

**Created and Written by**: Sacide Darkpath

**Note**: I hope you all had a great Christmas, I know I did. Got some spare time whilst we're rallying the family for the new year reunion. So again I'll be slow updating. Also, if this chapter feels as if it's been wrote in the span of several days you're correct. I've been picking it up, writing a bit, putting it down for some time.

**Warnings**: mild-to-moderate violence, mild suggestive themes and moral dilemmas & issues. Rated T accordingly.

* * *

_Chapter Nine: Unsettling Revelations_

As hot-headed as Drago could be, he did sometimes take a step back to view the bigger picture.

He carefully stalked backwards; the back of his legs tense and the tip of his tail quivering in anticipation. The blast that Jade – no, the Queen, hit him with was powerful, and worryingly so. For someone so young, there was unbound power just waiting to be unleashed, and this corruption that had manifested into a persona of sorts, knew how to harness that energy, that untapped potential.

That is what made him weary. He faltered as he hit the back of something solid, swinging around with a sweeping axe kick, only to be deftly blocked like it was nothing. Tarakudo, whom seemed earlier like he was merely just "matching" up with the half-dragon, was able to best him in mere seconds. The Oni's hand shot out, grasping his throat and held him up, not even flinching as Drago's claws sunk into his arms.

He didn't like to admit it, but it appeared as if the King was going _easy _on him before, and he was drawing the conclusion as to why.

"I must thank you for your efforts." mused the Queen, smirking prettily and floating up to the part-demon. He gave the best snarl he could muster; but it only served to make him look like a wounded, caged pup bearing it's teeth. She mockingly patted the side of his face, which if Drago did not risk having his neck snapped by Tarakudo, he would of bit her hand off for the audacity of even touching him.

"Your little follies only made my job easier." She pulled away from him. "Now, Tarakudo and I can resume our reign over our empire. After, a few changes to the book. You, little gecko boy, will play messenger. I want to install fear into those ancient, washed up sorcerers."

Drago opened his mouth to retort; but was promptly cut off before he could. "And yes, I do expect you to do this. If you refuse, then my King will end your insignificant existence."

Death or Messenger. His prideful nature raged at him to choose the former option, just to spite the two Shadowkhan rulers. However, he did not want to make any mistakes like his family would do. Resuming combat with either of them would be the end of him – he could see this, and he loathed this fact. Tarakudo settled him back down to his feet when they were sure he wasn't about to try anything.

The Queen cruelly giggled. "That's a good boy." There was a brief pause, as she made a soft exclamation, as if remembering something. "Do send my regards to Shendu, and return these to him. Talisman magic is _so _beneath me."

She rummaged in her pockets – suddenly grimacing at what she was wearing, still in those horrendous servant rags – and retrieved the two rocks that Jade nabbed. She shoved them into Drago's hands, grumbling something about 'no fashion sense'. The half-dragon peered at his hands, eyeing the two talismans.

Tiger and Sheep.. Jade had taken Spiritual Balance and Astral Projection. He snorted. Even preparing for it, she had failed to actually prevent the ascension from taking place. Of course, he could use them against her now, but he couldn't see how the split Jade would assist-

She would be able to wield and use Good Chi Magic. She _knew _some Good Chi spells. Like a jigsaw puzzle, Drago began to piece together a plan. He was able to hide his smirk with keeping a look of uncontrollable anger on his face, and turned towards the palace.

"Come, Tarakudo. We must begin preparations." the Queen announced. The Oni King nodded in agreement, joining her as the two of them began to meld with the shadows – not just before Drago spun around and pointed the Tiger at her.

In a few seconds, everything changed.

The Queen had saw him about to do this, giving a startled shout, which prompted Tarakudo to spring forth and grab his tail, utilizing his full strength to throw him aside. Drago, while being tossed into the dead tree, still managed to keep his arm outstretched long enough for the Talisman's powers to activate. It hit her, causing her to split into two beings.

He couldn't celebrate his victory, plummeting against the tree and eyes shot open wide – he had landed onto one of the husks that was a branch; the wood sharp and split previously, forming serrated and jagged points, like spikes. It pierced his side; thanks to Tarakudo's strength and force, managed to get past his protective scales.

He clutched at the ground, muttering incoherently as pain pulsated from his side, one hand gingerly resting against the wound. He glanced at it, frowning as globules of dark, crimson blood leaked from his hand, despite his best efforts. It dripped to the ground, staining the dried soil red.

As he tried to best tend his unwanted wound; the lighter half of Jade fell to the ground in a crumple, groaning and partly rolling. The Queen still managed to keep up afloat, resting her arm against Tarakudo to support her. Having part of you spiritually ripped was quite exhausting.

"No matter.." the Queen sneered. "He further.. helps us.. no longer am I burdened with a nagging conscious.."

"It appears the demon has been wounded." Tarakudo mused, stroking his goatee in thought. "I could put him out of his misery.."

"..but where's the fun in that?" he finished. The Queen spared a glance over to Drago, and seeing now that his purpose of messenger had died away with him injured, she whispered something to Tarakudo, making dismissive gestures as she did so.

The Oni King approached Drago. The teenage half-dragon tried to take a swipe, but his actions were weak and hindered. He was roughly shoved against the tree – thankfully, not into another spike – and his arms pinned around it, before his wrists were bound together with shadow magic. He winced, as he was put in an uncomfortable position that did nothing to help relieve the pain to his side.

He was about to walk over towards Jade too, but stopped as the female Shadowkhan spoke.

"Leave my weaker half. It is impossible for her to get to Australia or Japan. Come." the Queen gestured; and finally, the two was able to escape in the darkness.

Jade rolled slightly once more, sitting up and dizzily looking to Drago. She gave a frightened yelp, stumbling and scrambling backwards, even if the part-demon was unable to do anything towards her. Standing up, and almost collapsing because of her state, she stared dumbfounded at the injured boy.

Drago could only weakly hold up his head as he continued to steadily loose blood, and fixate her with a pitiful look of anger, trying to still make himself appear intimidating, despite his situation.

"..Bad day." she whispered, and found herself, for the first time, unable and unknowing what to do.

* * *

"You disappoint us, Shendu."

The dragon barely could conceal his fear as his siblings loomed around him – luckily, not in person. The magical representations of them stared the sorcerer down, each conveying their own measure of disappointment, fury, and bitterness. It had taken quite a while to gather the family on the same connection in such a short notice, and even longer as he danced about the issue with careful chosen words, trying to quell the inevitable fires.

He had eventually informed them all, and they did not take kindly to his stalling nor the actual news. He was glad that they were not physically present, but even in succeeding in stopping the Shadowkhan – which he was sure they would be able to – he was in for a world of punishment and torment to of risked all of this in the first place.

"I can assure you, there is nothing to worry about." he spoke; his voice containing the barest of wavers in his confidence, yet hundreds of years worth of lying and deceit made him pretty convincing. "My son will not fail in his hunt."

"I, for one, am not taking my chances with a undisciplined, fledgling half-breed." leered Bai Tza, her tail flicking, as her tentacles shook and quivered. They twisted and remained suspended in the air, her irritation like a nest full of angry hornets. "You have failed us time and time again, Shendu. I do not see how now would be any different."

"I suppose negotiating with the Shadow Empire is not an option.." mused Xiao Fung, although the wise wind demon was ignored in this situation, much to his ire.

"I agree with Sister Bai." Hsi Wu pitched in, and his image looking a lot more vicious and intimidating than what he truly was. He grinned widely, taking great satisfaction in bullying Shendu, as well as being able to in the first place. A part of him almost wanted Jade to succeed, so that he could be given free rein to torture his brother for centuries, alongside the rest of the family. But.. priorities.

"What do you suggest we do, then? Find and kill her ourselves?" Po Kong rumbled, snorting in distaste. The child was too small to be a good meal, after all.

"It's simple." spoke Tso Lan, gathering the attention of the present demons. "We will make our way to the Book of Ages and cut her off to it-"

"-and make a few adjustments?" Shendu prompted, but was silenced quickly by the steely glare of the Moon Demon.

"Even I am wary to make further changes to the book. It is not something that should be tampered with at all, even lightly. I personally would prefer defeating this threat, rather than writing it away.." he trailed off, tapping his foreclaws in thought. As he dropped to silence, this prompted to stir the demons and rile them up again.

"Dai Gui knows we will have no trouble crushing puny little shadows." growled out the stone-lion, and although it was merely magic that was projecting his appearance, managed to capture his throaty, earthy voice. He pulled back his lips in a sneer, showing off his sharp teeth. "They will be eliminated."

"Let us go to the fortress. And remember, Shendu, should we end up failing, your punishment of eternal torment will continue on as normal." Tso Lan finished, and in another moment, his image dissipated. The other sorcerers followed suit, each offering their own leer and black look to the second youngest of the family, before the dragon was now alone.

A sigh escaped the fire demon. "Duly noted." he muttered, turning and leaving to one of his winged minions.

* * *

Jade slowly backed away from the bound Drago, eyes alight with uncertainty. Really, there should be no question about it – he was injured and tied up, this was the perfect time to escape him. Especially since last time, he had been strangling her moments before everything went dark. Her fingers itched with her doubt, and she found herself unwilling to leave his side, even with his snarling prompts.

Being now completely fuelled with Good Chi, she just could not find it in her nature to just leave him like this, where he could possibly bleed out. The little girl was no expect when it came to half-demon biology, but he hadn't shown to be regenerating or slowing the loss any time soon. Her eyes darted everywhere, as if her answer would suddenly smack her in the face and give her a clue. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

A part of her – heck, the entirety of her wanted to forgive the demon and, at the very least, nurture him well enough to survive and escape then. She was horrified at her own thoughts, and strictly tried to continuously remind herself that this was, in fact, a demon. Human heritage aside, he was still the spawn of Shendu.

Drago on the other hand, tried to twist his hands out of the bonds of shadow, but found in this gradually weakening state, that it wasn't working. He started to feel the effects of his injury, a light woozy haze falling over him. He was strong enough to push it aside, for now, but he focused his red eyes up to the preteen and glared. Magic must defeat Magic, and he could not combat against it.

"Stop staring at me.. I don't need your pity.. get lost before I scorch you." he hissed out, and even he was unsure if he was able to conjure his fire. He briefly paused, then would of smacked himself silly for not thinking of it earlier. He tried to twist himself around so that he could angle his fire breath, but the action only shot a pain spike through him, causing him to stop.

"I'm not offering you pity." Jade muttered, and finally gave in to her nagging, emphasised goodness, courtesy of the Tiger Talisman. "I'm making sure you're not going to kick the bucket any time soon."

She walked up to him, despite his protests and hissing warning, and removed her yellow belt. This did make her jacket loose, but luckily she wore one of the matching blue uniform tops underneath. She knelt down to his side, hands hesitating as they hovered above his bloodstained sleeveless shirt.

Drago watched her, snorting softly. "This changes nothing. If you're doing this to-"

"Oh, put a cork in it, lizard lips." she stated exasperatingly. Even if she did not have any of her Bad Chi, she was still Jade, and she'd definitely remind him of that.

"Look at the bigger picture. The only one that can stop my darker half is myself. I think that.. by reuniting with the Talisman again, it'll negate her control as there will be a balance restored. Just think for a moment – she's at least ten times powerful now she has absolutely NO Good Chi holding and restricting her."

Jade continued. "Furthermore, I'm pumped full of one hundred percent goodness and my spells probably won't backfire like they used to. To kill me now will not destroy her. It'll only seal her position."

"As we both know, if the Queen of the Shadowkhan gets a hold of that book, we can ALL kiss our existences goodbye."

Drago considered her words, and was angry that they held some merit and sense. But, he found that he could at least manage a wry smirk, leaning back against the tree and resting against it the best he could in smugness and pride. "There is absolutely no way for you to travel to the book's location.. without my help. Which, by the way, I am not offering."

"I'm aware." she grumbled, peeling back the shirt and pulling a face in disgust. Some of the blood stained his green scales around the inflicted area, and the red globules had also pooled around him. With the belt, she cleaned up most of it, drastically reducing how bad it actually looks now that it was a little cleaner.

The teen dragon managed to hold back his pain, as the only sign he allowed was a slow exhale through his nose. This proved far more difficult as she folded the belt up to give it more padding and started to apply pressure. He growled lowly in the back of his throat, but knew it was only necessary to stop the bleeding. He instinctively moved against his bounds once more, but otherwise tried to remain still.

_'Jackie would so not approve.' _she thought as she held down the cloth, which served to increase Drago's irritation at the pain._ 'And here's hoping this works out as intended..'_


End file.
